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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26508934">Reflecting Light - A Captain Syverson/OFC story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/darklydeliciousdesires/pseuds/darklydeliciousdesires'>darklydeliciousdesires</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain Syverson - Fandom, Henry Cavill - Fandom, Henry Cavill characters, Sand Castle (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:47:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>60,536</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26508934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/darklydeliciousdesires/pseuds/darklydeliciousdesires</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>James Syverson was quite content in allowing his career in the military to consume his entire focus, until a young translator named Nazanin entered his life and turned that upside down. I am absolutely rubbish at summaries, but I promise the story is worth your time!</p><p>Reviews warmly welcomed, please do reach out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Captain Syverson/OC, Captain Syverson/Original character, Henry Cavill/Original Character(s), Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This is the last stretch, folks, but by no means is this long and arduous operation complete. As many of you are already aware, our forces surrounded the compound of Hassan al Shadid and captured him alive at 0:400 hours. He will be held there for questioning for the foreseeable.</p>
<p>“We feel it would be too volatile an action to move al Shadid from within the area at this point, he still has way too many men on the ground and at this particular time, it is more conducive to our effort for him to remain under guard within the compound, where we shall relocate to.</p>
<p>“We have two agents from the CIA arriving up from Damascus to oversee the questioning of al Shadid and those captured with him. We rendezvous at the compound at 0:900 hours. Pack up and prepare to move out. Dismissed.”</p>
<p>Although he hadn’t slept in over forty-eight hours, Captain James Syverson couldn’t have felt any better than he did at the moment as he made his way back to his ramshackle room in the corrugated iron and wood constructed camp to pack up.</p>
<p>They’d been after Hassan al Shadid, spokesman and leader of the IS offshoot terrorist fraction Zilal Aldam (loosely translated to blood shadows) for the last three years. For thirty six months straight, the overly arrogant, sadistic piece of shit who blew his own people to smithereens for political gain and who kept a fearsome iron grip upon the hearts of any Syrians either deluded or frightened enough to pledge fealty to him, was now within the custody of the US army.</p>
<p>Sy had assisted in in leading the tactical unit who brought him down, a small fraction of men who had stormed the compound, located between Salma and Al Haffah early that morning. It had felt more satisfying than anything he could remember to throw al Shadid face down on the ground, holding him there beneath the weight of his boot between his shoulder blades, the barrel of his rifle pointed straight at the back of his head.</p>
<p>He took a moment to breathe and finally allow himself a smile of triumph for a job well done before continuing to collect his gear and place it into his pack before leaving behind the glorified shed for surroundings much more comfortable.</p>
<p>The compound of al Shadid was large, with over twenty rooms in total and plentiful space so he and his men could actually sleep with a proper roof over their heads for the first time in three years. Being awoken by raging sand storms rattling the roof would not be something Sy would miss all too much at all.</p>
<p>With all gear and men packed up and loaded, they left the skeleton of the camp behind and hit the road, the destination taking roughly forty minutes to reach. Sy used his time sitting in the passenger seat of the second truck very wisely, head rested against the window as he drifted in and out of sleep.</p>
<p>“Feeing fresher, Jimmy boy?” His closest friend and immediate subordinate, First Lieutenant Calvin Watkin asked as Sy suddenly sat bolt upright after the truck wheel hit a rock that he’d purposefully aimed for to mess with his friend.</p>
<p>“Fuck you, Cal. You slept last night, and the goddamn night before,” Sy muttered gruffly, frowning while his friend laughed.</p>
<p>“You know my ass would have been right there with you, had it not been for a matter of someone needing to stay behind to oversee the camp. Snatching up all the glory for yourself and being a bitch because you didn’t sleep! You can’t have it both ways, white boy!” he then retorted, Sy shaking his head and continuing to stare out of the window. He was too exhausted for banter.</p>
<p>They arrived shortly after 9am, the desert air warming up considerably as they exited the truck, their immediate superior, Major Tom White standing talking with the two CIA agents as they approached.</p>
<p>“Captain Syverson, good to meet the man I’ve spent entirely too much time on the end of a satellite phone to over the last few months!” Kel Carpenter, the Chief of Station from the CIA greeted Sy with, shaking his hand and giving him a friendly slap on the back.</p>
<p>“Good to meet you too, sir,” he returned, Kel inclining his head a little.</p>
<p>“Call me Kel, son. Now, let’s get you guys situated and bring you up to speed. I understand you were the one who personally brought down that scum sucking dirt bag I have shackled in there at present?” he asked, leading him into the compound.</p>
<p>“That’s correct, I was,” he confirmed, Kel looking impressed.</p>
<p>“Good work, very nicely done. Expect the asshole to have a certain amount of venom when it comes to interrogating him, though. I want you in there, it’s a learning curve I feel you’d benefit from experiencing.” he said, entering the building.</p>
<p>Sy hadn’t been paying much attention to it when he was here five hours before, but the surroundings of the place al Shadid often secluded himself within (if not hiding at other safe houses, as intelligence had garnered) was modest enough for such a spacious abode, quite homely, in fact.</p>
<p>As they’d garnered, it had been the family home prior to al Shadid earning such a sizeable target upon his head. His wife and younger children were believed to be in Raqqa at that present time, being safeguarded by Zilal Aldam loyalists, but their pictures and possessions all remained dotted around.</p>
<p>A large toy chest occupied the corner of the sprawling lounge, a bowl containing women’s jewellery sat upon the coffee table next to a pile of books and a collar belonging to the former family dog, who the US forces unfortunately had to shoot dead that morning when he rushed to defend his master. It was the picture of normalcy in a situation that was far from it.</p>
<p>Furniture was being moved around, tables dragged in from other rooms to set up a communications location, techs and other army personnel setting up computers so they could assemble a proper control room and have constant feed from the drones that would eventually be sent out over the eastern Syrian mountains to hunt for the current location of al Shadid’s remaining foot soldiers.</p>
<p>“We’re holding him and his ten men down in the cellar. As you might guess he is being belligerent and then some. Expect him to make many a grandiose threat towards you personally. He’s absolutely spitting shit, as you might imagine,” Kel advised, smiling and laughing a little. From the standpoint of the US defence, this was a big victory.</p>
<p>“Yes, I can. I don’t understand much Arabic beyond a few basic words, but that asshole was cursing me to hell and back while we secured him,” Sy replied, still feeling the rush of having one of the world’s most renowned and dangerous terrorists under the weight of his boot. It had taken everything he had not to give him a few digs in the back of the skull. People who blew up children often had that effect upon him.</p>
<p>“We’re going to let everyone get situated, get a proper base set up here let you and your crew rest for a few hours too before we reconvene later today and sit down with him and one of our translators. Oh, talk of the devil. Syverson, this is Nazanin Hussein. She came up from Damascus with us,” Kel explained, Sy still taking in the room before turning around and feeling his eyes bulge slightly at the beautiful young woman before him.</p>
<p>“Hi, good to meet you. Call me Naz, though. Everyone else does,” she introduced herself as friendlily, offering her hand. He couldn’t quite place her accent; her dialect sounded a little muddled, Iraqi mixed with something else he couldn’t immediately recognise, but what he did identify was that it sounded just as hot as she looked.</p>
<p>“Captain James Syverson, but most people call me Sy.” he finally managed to speak after kicking himself mentally a few times to make his brain engage once more, shaking her hand with a nod.</p>
<p>It was in that moment that they both paused a little, definitely appreciating all that was standing right in front of them, Naz thinking to herself that it had been a while since she’d seen eyes that blue, while Sy wondered if he’d been in the company of too many filthy, sweaty men for too long, or if she really was that jaw dropping.</p>
<p>When her smile widened a touch before she nodded and continued on her way, he realised it was definitely the latter. She was luminous, with her cloudy grey eyes, pale coffee coloured skin and long, shiny black hair. He found her utterly captivating.</p>
<p>“Great gal, very intelligent. She reads at a rate that will blow your damn mind, which is going to come in handy since al Shadid was in the habit of making a lot of notes. Whether we’ll garner anything from the books we’ve retrieved so far is anyone’s guess, though. Right, let’s see you to a room.” Kel explained as they hit the stairs.</p>
<p>Being of higher rank, he got to choose a room for himself, Sy not particularly fancy and taking the first available one they arrived at, setting his kit down before he and Kel took a walk of the compound.</p>
<p>“Those watch towers he had built in to keep a guard presence will be perfect in order for your guys to do the same. I don’t think there’s much else you need to be brought up to speed with, so you go give your crew their orders and get yourself some shut eye. We’ll meet up down in the control room at four.”</p>
<p>With that, Kel departed, leaving Sy to do exactly as he’d been advised before happily heading up to his room, stripping to his boxers and flopping down on the bed face first. It was a definite improvement to a foldaway cot. The linen also smelled relatively fresh also.</p>
<p>It could have been a pile of blankets on the floor and scratchy hessian sack of grains for a pillow at that moment though, Sy was so exhausted. In testament to this, he was asleep as soon as he stuffed his face into a pillow.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Naz, are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable at a table?” Kel asked the translator, coming over to where she was sat on a couch, her laptop in front of her on the coffee table while she typed out the contents of the first of al Shadid’s notebooks.  </p>
<p>“Maybe eventually, but right now this is nice and comfy, thank you,” she replied politely, taking a sip from her bottle of water before reading a few more paragraphs.  </p>
<p>“I know I’m likely to be asking much too early, but have you discovered anything interesting as yet?” he then asked.  </p>
<p>“I’m afraid not. Mostly all this book contains so far is propaganda and ranting. It’s a manifesto, quite crudely constructed, but in layman’s terms it basically reads, ‘blah, blah, blah, I am a terrible plague upon the evil and barbaric Western world, I shall be feared, blah, blah, blah.’  </p>
<p>“Excuse the unprofessional use of the blah blah’s there, Kel. I felt they were the most befitting way to verbalise the written conniptions of a very deluded little man.” He laughed softly at her words, as ever enjoying her humour.  </p>
<p>He left her to it, Naz continuing with her translations for a couple of hours before breaking to grab something to eat and take a break, going to stand in the shade of the courtyard while she ate.  </p>
<p>Scanning around, she saw many of the US soldiers who had arrived a few hours previously, a small group of who she recognised to be the higher-ranking guys joined by the man who had caught her eye upon his arrival.  </p>
<p>He looked remarkably fresher and better rested than he had five hours previously, Naz noted as she allowed herself to partake in the guilty pleasure of ogling him. He was so attractive, with his thick but quite well-groomed beard, handsome face, bright blue eyes and broad physique. His back and arms especially, he looked as if he’d been carved from a boulder.</p>
<p>She cursed quietly when he turned around suddenly and caught her eye, smiling. She returned a shy smile she suspected was more of an embarrassed grimace, feeling sheepish that he’d caught her checking him out before she slunk back inside.  </p>
<p>“Real smooth, Naz.” She muttered to herself, covering her face with her hands momentarily and shaking her head before concentrating on the task at hand. She didn’t make a habit of appreciating the military guys she quite often found herself surrounded by in her line of work, in fact checking out men period was off limits to her while she was on the clock.  </p>
<p>Sy was an exception to such a rule though, she noted, being perhaps the most attractive man she’d seen in a long time. Still, she wouldn’t let the fact there was a very handsome man around get in the way of her work. She wasn’t one of those starry-eyed types of women.  </p>
<p>Later that afternoon, Kel Carpenter and his associate CIA agent, Dr Liz Barmore, called the translators and the higher-ranking soldiers to the control room to brief everyone on the proposed plan.</p>
<p>“I will take Captain Syverson, Naz and First Lieutenant Watkin with me to grill al Shadid. Major White, since you expressed interest in speaking with his son, we’ll have you in with Liz and Tariq, and anyone else you wish to have sit in, sir.” He explained.  </p>
<p>Tariq was the other translator, but if you asked Naz, they honestly needed a third if the two of them were to be held in questioning at the same time, someone to assist with the notebook translations while they were occupied.  </p>
<p>Translating was very mentally tasking work, this she was more than aware of by that point in her life, having worked in this field since she left university seven years ago. In fact, Naz had poured her heart into linguistics for as long as she could remember, wanting to travel and learn as many different languages as she could since she was a little girl.  </p>
<p>As they walked down to the room al Shadid had been brought to for what would likely be one of many rounds of questioning, Naz couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. There she was, about to translate the words of and translate questions to one of the most feared terrorists in the world.  </p>
<p>Hassan al Shadid was a near constant feature within news publications across the globe, therefore this was a very, very big deal. She couldn’t wait to be able to tell her beloved family about it, especially her father, who was immensely proud of his eldest daughter’s career trajectory. She wouldn’t be able to go into detail, of course, but she could reveal she’d been there.</p>
<p>However, once within the room, the interrogative questioning didn’t go as planned. Hassan al Shadid was a man of very few words to begin with and none of them were helpful. No one expected anything less, but still, it was frustrating.  </p>
<p>“He says he’s going to behead you with the smallest kitchen knife he can find when he escapes, so your death shall be slow and excruciating,” Naz translated for Sy, who just looked amused, standing opposite where al Shadid was sitting, shackled and glowering with utter disgust.  </p>
<p>“How mature of him. No need to translate that back, I know he has a basic grasp of English anyway, but my being entertained by his redundant bravado needs no translation.” He replied, smiling in a way that maddened al Shadid so much, he spat on the floor and then continued his tirade.  </p>
<p>“This isn’t helping your case at all, Hassan.” Kel stated, taking a seat opposite him at the table. He expected this, of course. For the next five hours, he was obstreperous, belligerent and uncooperative, screaming threats, ranting more of his propaganda and assuring them that his remaining forces would storm the compound and slaughter everyone within in an act of ultimate retribution.  </p>
<p>“I think your assessment over his maturity was quite apt, Sy. Let’s leave it here for an hour and then continue. Go get yourselves fed and watered and then we’ll reconvene.” Kel spoke after they’d left the room, of course used to the result. Terrorists were notoriously tough nuts to crack. He wasn’t about to give up the valuable intel they sought easily.  </p>
<p>“Wow, so you’re meant to be chili? You’re definitely not like any chili I’ve ever tasted,” Naz muttered to herself as she ate her vacuum-packed meal. It was the only trouble with working in the field; the food was god awful.  </p>
<p>“You get used to it, eventually,” she heard from behind her, her heart skipping a beat when she turned to see Sy wandering up to where she was standing outside the control room.  </p>
<p>“It’s still never going to be a KFC though, is it?” she commented, watching as he looked pained.  </p>
<p>“Don’t you dare mention those particular three letters,” he began in joke, pointing at her with a stern look which instantly made her laugh. “I don’t consume a lot of junk food because it mostly tastes like crap, but the colonel knows his stuff where fried chicken is concerned. I miss it.”  </p>
<p>“Right? See if this was any other Friday night and I was home, if I was having a night in, I’d be sitting in my undies drinking Miller and eating KFC while watching something directed by Scorsese.” In that second, without even knowing it, Naz’s preferences had ticked three boxes on Sy’s ‘this is a representation of my perfect woman’ list, naming his favourite junk food, beer and director.  </p>
<p>“Favourite movie?” he inquired, Naz chewing through her mouthful quickly in order to answer.</p>
<p>“I know it’s cliché, but Goodfellas every time. I absolutely love it! Secondly, Raging Bull,” she told him, Sy nodding enthusiastically.  </p>
<p>“See my favourites are those two reversed and then Taxi Driver if I had to choose a third,” he replied, Naz setting down her food package in favour of conversation instead. “So, translating, huh? What made you decide on that?”</p>
<p>“I love the art of language; I find both the similarities and differences to be so fascinating. I always wanted to be able to connect people too, I enjoy the idea that I may bring people together through translations, although such a romanticised ideal is very far away from what I’m doing now,” she chuckled, smiling that same smile that made her look about ten times more beautiful.  </p>
<p>“How many languages do you speak?” he then questioned, loving the easy way they’d fallen into conversation. He hadn’t even planned it at all. He’d merely been heading to find their medic to source some painkillers, since he felt a headache coming on.  </p>
<p>“Five. I speak Arabic and English, obviously, then Turkish, German and French. I’m also trying to learn Russian too, just because,” she replied proudly.  </p>
<p>“Oh, just because, one of the hardest languages there is to learn, just because,” he teased, very impressed by her. He appreciated a smart woman.  </p>
<p>“I enjoy the challenge! Admittedly, it is very tricky since I have no knowledge of other Slavic languages, but in my free time I’m enjoying it, adding another string to my bow. I don’t like to become bored; learning is something that I’ve had instilled in me since I was a child. It perhaps is as much of a blessing as it is a curse to come from an academic family,” she revealed, Sy nodding.  </p>
<p>“Tell me about them,” he asked, very much enjoying talking to her. Not only was she absolutely stunning, she was interesting too.  </p>
<p>“They are professors, they lecture at a university at home in Turkey. They met as students and both went on to work at the University of Baghdad, my mother in theology and my father in physics.  </p>
<p>“Dad is one of the most foremost authorities on physics within the Middle East, which is why we moved from Iraq to Turkey when he was offered the position of head of physics at Ankara University. How about your folks?” she inquired. This explained him not being able to place her accent, as it was a mixture of Iraqi and what he now realised to be Turkish.</p>
<p>“Dad breeds and trains horses and mom helps out, a lot more so now she’s done raising the six of us,” he surmised simply, adding a little more when Naz looked expectant.  </p>
<p>“He breeds quarter horses, so the family home is a massive ranch just outside of Eastland County. It was the perfect place to raise six boisterous kids, with acres of land for us to explore. I’m the second eldest, I’ve got an elder sister, three younger sisters and a younger brother. Do you have siblings?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Two sisters, both younger,” she stated.</p>
<p>“Are they as smart as you?” He then inquired, Naz feeling flattered. He could have asked if they were as attractive, but he chose to compliment her intelligence instead. Coming from a man who she could tell found her to be just that, attractive, it made a refreshing change.  </p>
<p>They sadly couldn’t continue the conversation they’d both been so enjoying of, Kel calling them back for round two of interrogative questioning a short time later. As they walked, Naz couldn’t help but note how easily they’d fallen into conversation with each other, or how good it felt.  </p>
<p>She enjoyed getting along with those she worked with, but she didn’t usually reveal quite a much as she had to Sy quite as quickly. What’s more, it felt utterly organic too, like it hadn’t been an impromptu overshare.  </p>
<p>Walking back into the room to continue translating for al Shadid, she couldn’t help but wish the question and answer situation she was involved with was a second round with the handsome army captain instead of the disgruntled terrorist.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Yeah, she’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” Calvin said suddenly as Sy took a rest from doing push ups in the courtyard, catching his breath while looking directly into the control room where Naz and Tariq were doing their usual thing of translating from the hundreds of notebooks compiled by al Shadid.</p>
<p>“Pardon?” Sy asked, taking a swig of from his canteen.</p>
<p>“Naz. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you checking her out, man. As I said, she’s pretty,” Calvin replied, guffawing when he received what he’d coined as ‘pissed off Sy side eye’ from his friend. They’d been friends since school, heading up through the ranks after joining up together.</p>
<p>He was the only member of Sy’s crew privileged enough to give him shit, apart from Tom White, who also regularly enjoyed ribbing the burly bearded man too in reminder not to take himself too seriously, as he sometimes had a habit of doing. When he wasn’t, Sy was a surprisingly upbeat and humorous guy.</p>
<p>“I hadn’t noticed,” he replied, hitting the ground and continuing with push ups, this time with just one arm.</p>
<p>“Bull motherfucking shit, dude! I’ve noticed you two being all chatty and flirty with one another on multiple occasions now. Also, like you’d be out here peacocking right where she can see you getting yo’ damn flex on if you didn’t want yourself a piece of that!” Calvin laughed, snapping his fingers and throwing his head back, amused as hell at Sy’s darkening facial expression.</p>
<p>“Piss off.” He hissed, feeling a little agitated. Calvin ribbed him a little more, Sy having the sense to just ignore him, his friend eventually joining him in a workout before they hit the showers.</p>
<p>They’d rigged up a crude shower block (which was nowhere near as good as an actual shower with water pressure, but would suffice) attached to the water supply, made of hosing, the corrugated iron and the shower heads from the old camp running along the back wall of the compound to avoid bathroom queues, also being gentlemanly and leaving the two ladies present with full access to either of the two bathrooms within the homestead.</p>
<p>It was the sight of a shirtless and still glistening Sy, wearing low slung sweatpants that showed off his lower abs that had Naz practically drooling onto her laptop as he headed back from his shower, staring at him while feeling her stomach roll over pleasantly.</p>
<p>‘That man is walking sex!’ she thought, quickly looking back to the notebook and continuing to type, stopping to read a little more before suddenly, for the first time in a week…</p>
<p>“I found something! Someone, I found something!” she suddenly screamed at an unexpectedly high volume, Tariq spilling tea onto his lap and before she knew it, the object of her desires arriving at her side. “Sorry, I got excited.” She then added a little quieter, composing herself.</p>
<p>“Are you in the habit of screaming when excited?” Sy asked, not able to help himself but flirt a little.</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she replied, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed at the forwardness of her retort. He smiled though, scratching the back of his head and looking away as he raised his eyebrows. He might have said something that really could have been considered forward if Liz hadn’t arrived right at that moment.</p>
<p>“What have you got, Naz?” she asked, leaning back against the desk she was working at.</p>
<p>“Give me a moment, I just need to work it out,” she began, typing the numbers that appeared in worded form out onto the screen in front of her. “Thirty-five, thirty-three, twenty-seven point two, N, thirty-five, fifty-eight, fifty-five point three, E.”</p>
<p>“Co-ordinates. May I?” Sy asked, gesturing to her laptop. She nodded, turning it in his direction and watching as he called up Google and typed them in. “It’s a wooded area in Al Qardahah, roughly fifty miles from here, give or take. Is there anything else in relation to the numbers?”</p>
<p>“I’m unsure. I’ve got what I think are initials here, but I could be wrong,” she replied, turning the laptop back and resting the notebook down on the desk, her arm brushing against Sy’s. Immediately, she felt a little flurry of goosepimples beginning to rise, but she was too involved in her work to let herself enjoy it for more than the briefest of moments.</p>
<p>“MaH, TR, BW, KaN-H, MS, NM and AS,” she spoke while typing, none of the letters making any immediate sense nor sparking chords of recognition, Sy looking blank too as Liz took some paper and wrote them out, tearing the sheet from the pad and pacing as she stared at them.</p>
<p>“You’re right, they are initials. All those relatives of Syrian dignitaries who went missing, who al Shadid hinted at being behind? Those are their names. Muhammad al Hussain, Tadita Rahar, Balthazar Wasem, Kairos al Naseer Habib, Mabli Sarraf, Naava Maloof and Ali Shamoon,” Tariq then stated after a long silence, while calling up a news page in his laptop to reference the names.</p>
<p>“Shit, they are, too,” Liz began, nodding. “Good work, Tariq. I’m thinking what we have here are the coordinates to a mass grave. Syverson, get your crew together and prepare to roll out.” He nodded, getting up from where he’d been crouched at Naz’s side and running for the stairs. When he arrived back in full kit, it was just Naz, Liz gone to report the findings and Tariq having a smoke break.</p>
<p>“She could have praised you too. You’re the one who suggested they were initials in the first place. See you later.” Sy offered, giving her a wink so speedy that Naz wasn’t exactly sure if he did wink or not. Either way, it made butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach.</p>
<p>There’d been a few instances over the past week of them finding themselves gravitating towards one another, enjoying light conversation with one another. Naz relished in each and every one of them, too. As did Sy, who found her utterly captivating.</p>
<p>It was the same that night as well, Naz sitting in the courtyard at 1am after a long round of translating, sipping from small flask of arak. It was a Syrian alcoholic drink with the kind of potent strength to help her unwind from being called every name under the sun by Khalid al Shadid, the son of Hassan al Shadid.</p>
<p>“Please tell me there’s booze in that flask,” Sy stated, approaching her through the near dark, the lights from inside casting Naz in a dim golden light where she was sitting on a wide stone bench.</p>
<p>“There sure is,” she replied, offering it to him as he approached and sat down next to her, taking a big gulp.</p>
<p>“Thanks, I needed that. I’ve seen some shit in my time, it’s inevitable with active service. However, I could serve another fifty years and not be able to cope particularly well when kids are involved.</p>
<p>“Naava Maloof was eight years old and I just had to pull her body out of a hole in the ground. That fucking bastard in the cellar had her hung, I could tell from the bruising around her neck. Who the fuck does that to a kid?” Naz didn’t say anything for a moment, passing her flask back and then resting her hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry you had to deal with that, I really am. With children, I don’t think anyone could harden themselves to such abject cruelty. At least you found her though, same as the rest of them. Their families will know for sure now what happened to them, so they have some closure. Are you alright?” she asked, taking her flask again when he handed it to her. Just her thumb circling there at his bulky shoulder in a comforting manner made him feel soothed.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m good. I just have all the anger welling up now, wanting to go down there and punch him so hard, my fist exits the back of his skull,” he confided, Naz nodding.</p>
<p>“See I feel a little like that over his son right now, but maybe not with such violent intentions,” she said, Sy turning to look at her.</p>
<p>“Why, what did the little weasel do to piss you off?” he asked, Naz shaking her head.</p>
<p>“You just had to remove bodies from a shallow grave. My grievances pale in comparison,” she stated, waving her hand dismissively.</p>
<p>“No, they don’t. Tell me. Actually, tell me in five minutes. I’m going to shower; I smell of death.” Naz hadn’t noticed, but nodded and continued to sip the anise-based drink from her flask, glad she had two bottles in her room. She didn’t really enjoy getting heavily drunk and wouldn’t while working, but she definitely intended to feel a mild buzz at least.</p>
<p>“So, what did evil douchebag Jnr say that pissed you off so much, then?” A fresh smelling Sy asked just over five minutes later, dressed in the same dark grey sweatpants that had made her hormones all of a flutter that morning, paired with a black t shirt.</p>
<p>“Oh, just all the names under the sun, that I’m an Iraqi bitch, a cunt, a whore and a hell of a lot more too. He reminded me of a complete jerk who I was at university with who was nothing but a racist bully. He eventually got thrown out, but not because of how he treated me or any other students of colour. He was an amphetamine dealer, the stupid fool,” she snorted, taking another swig.</p>
<p>“As is he in the cellar, one of life’s many stupid fools. Just ignore him, he’s captured and pissed off about it. So, what university did you attend? Was it either of those your parents lecture at?” he asked, Naz passing her flask to him again.</p>
<p>“No,” she began, moving her hair and turning the little patch of fabric with the Yale University logo printed upon it for him to see. “I was educated in America, where I live now. I had to do the whole citizenship thing to work for the CIA too. I’m not an outside contract hire like Tariq.” She continued, Sy raising his eyebrows in surprise that he didn’t know that already.</p>
<p>“You’ve certainly lived an adventurous life. How old were you when you guys left Iraq?” he asked, wanting to immerse himself in all things Naz. Not just because he enjoyed her company and found her interesting, but for the distraction.</p>
<p>Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the face of little Naava Maloof as he’d lifted her from the hole and placed her on the ground, ready for the guys from the local mortuary to bag and collect.</p>
<p>It was haunting, to think she’d be on a cold slab right now and not alive and safe in the arms of her mother. He could walk through the debris of a bomb and encounter limbs and guts everywhere and not flinch, but when it came to children, he wasn’t that hardened.</p>
<p>“I was only six, so I don’t remember too much about life there. Even though of course I’m a US citizen now and Virginia is my home – and I love it there, I’m lucky to live in such a nice place – Turkey will always be my true home to me because it is where I have the most memories,” she shared, Sy nodding.</p>
<p>“Tell me all about Turkey, then.” Sensing his need for distraction, Naz did just that, beginning to tell him all about her childhood. What she also sensed, was that he was asking because he truly wanted to get to know her better, something she was completely welcoming of.</p>
<p>With every moment that passed, she found herself becoming a little more smitten with him. What she was beginning to gauge too was that the feeling was entirely mutual.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So there she is, my seventy year old grandmother as she was at the time, with her abaya gathered up in one hand so she can run, a shish in the other with this lamb’s eyeball on the end of it, chasing my sister around the garden trying to get her to eat it!” Naz explained, making Sy laugh as he imagined the scene at her sister’s tenth birthday, when her grandparents had travelled to Turkey to be with them.  </p>
<p>“She sounds like a riot,” he stated through his laughter, feeling much more himself than he had upon arriving back at the compound half an hour before.  </p>
<p>“She was. She was very modest and reserved for the most part, a very dignified woman in all respects. When it came to her grandchildren though, she was silly and fun behind closed doors. I remember her scooping me onto her lap to feed me flat bread and tickle me, while she told me stories from her youth. She cooked the most amazing flat bread ever, I can’t ever get the dough right like she used to,” she sighed, thinking of her beloved jida.  </p>
<p>“You speak as if she’s passed. Is that the case?” When she confirmed this with a nod, he momentarily squeezed her hand, Naz smiling widely to indicate it was okay.  </p>
<p>“She died just before I left for university. We went back to Iraq to be with her in the end since my jidiy – that’s grandpa, by the way – had died two years before. She was so proud of me, I’ll always remember that, so thrilled I was going off to university to pursue my dreams. I’m glad she died knowing that everyone was well and happy,” she replied, taking another swig from the flask and passing it to Sy.</p>
<p>“So, how much of a culture shock was it, leaving Turkey for the USA?” he then asked her.</p>
<p>“Not hugely, strangely enough, but then again Turkey is a country with great cultural breadth and depth due to the many waves of immigration, invasion and rebellion. It’s a very mixed pot kind of place. I suppose the stark contrast really are the people.  </p>
<p>“The Turkish are polite and hospitable and when I first moved, I found Americans to be very rude. Very rude and very fat. I hate to generalise like that and after living there for a decade I do see it was a generalisation, not everyone has an attitude or a weight problem, but that’s what I thought!  </p>
<p>“It was borne of the fact that I was verbally abused by a very large lady in a market on the day I arrived, so the impression stuck for a short time! I do feel guilty though, I hate to have such awful thoughts,” she replied, holding her hands up and then laughing. She still felt terrible about it to that day.</p>
<p>“No, you got us bang to rights, Naz. Rude and fat, that’s pretty much on the money for a large proportion of my countrymen,” he stated, laughing too.  </p>
<p>“You’re neither though. Maybe a little bit grumpy from what I’ve heard your crew mention, but I am yet to see this grumpy man. I just see someone who I like talking to, because he’s interesting. I’d like to know more about this interesting man, so come on, Captain James Syverson. You tell me more about yourself. I fear I have talked too much.”  </p>
<p>It was in that moment, as she smiled at him through the dim light, that Sy didn’t want to talk at all. It was the first moment he realised just how much he truly liked the young woman by his side, wanting to do nothing more than lean over and kiss her. He didn’t, though. Again, because of the realisation over how fond he knew he was becoming of her.</p>
<p>“You could never talk too much. You have a wonderful way of being concise, yet informative at the same time. I really like that about you,” he began, his smile making her stomach flip pleasantly, as did his bare arm brushing against hers.  </p>
<p>“As for me, there isn’t much to tell. You know about my upbringing, I lived in Eastland County all my life until I went to college in Dallas. I knew I wanted to join the army but my dad advised me to back myself up with an education, and I’m really good at math so I took a BA in mathematics,” he began.</p>
<p>“You have a math BA? My god, you’re so smart. I remember looking over the assignments some of my friends at Yale were doing and they were impossible for me to fathom,” she complimented him with, Sy shrugging.</p>
<p>“A lot of people say that, but to me it’s always just made absolute sense. I’m great with numbers, I just get it, you know? Much like the way you have your natural aptitude for speaking other languages, I can work out a math problem that would have most people stumped relatively quickly,” he replied, Naz nodding enthusiastically.  </p>
<p>“Sorry, I interrupted you. Do continue.” He really liked that about her, how polite and well-mannered she was. He had no time for rude people.  </p>
<p>“Well, there isn’t much to continue with, really. After college I went on as planned and joined up in the military when I was nineteen and headed out to Ford Hood in Killeen, where I’ve been ever since. That’s about it,” he surmised.</p>
<p>Naz looked on at him curiously, making him pull a slightly uncomfortable expression before he laughed softly through his nose. “That cannot be all! Tell me about you, about James Syverson. What he likes and doesn’t, what makes him tick. All of that, please.”</p>
<p>“Alright,” he began, motioning to her flask. “What is that, by the way? It’s really good.”</p>
<p>“Arak, and no changing the subject!” she stated, pointing at him and then squeaking and giggling when he made a motion to bite her finger. “Don’t be naughty. I bite back, by the way.”</p>
<p>“Maybe I like that,” he teased.</p>
<p>“Sy!” she warned, the pair sharing laughter, Naz feeling a little happy glimmer glow in her tummy when he gave her a playful shove in the shoulder.  </p>
<p>“Okay, alright. The lady gets her way. Things I like, I’m really into music, classic rock, country, metal, stuff like that. I’m a big foodie, both cooking and eating, hence why I work out a lot because I gain weight like a prize heifer if I don’t.  </p>
<p>“Erm… like I already mentioned, I’m really into Scorsese, but I’m also a big fan of Ridley Scott, I think the Alien franchise is a masterpiece, which got me into the art of Giger, which thus gave me an appreciation of other artists who create from a darker perspective, people like Gerald Brom, Zdzisław Beksiński, Chet Zar, etc.  </p>
<p>“What else… ummm, I’m a truck enthusiast. I have three at home and only one operational, the other two are classics I’m rebuilding. I love football, I’m a lifelong Dallas Cowboys supporter, I like to read too, anything by Charles Bukowski or Tom Steinbeck I’ll happily read over and over, for example. So yeah, that’s about it now, unless you can think of specifics you want to ask,” he detailed, fiddling with the small strap on her flask before handing it back.</p>
<p>“You don’t like talking about yourself, do you? You definitely prefer to listen,” Naz noted, watching him nod.</p>
<p>“I don’t mind it. I just don’t tend to do it unless I’m in company of someone I’ve known a long time, or in your case, someone I have a good connection with.” She felt very flattered to hear that, smiling and looking away a little shyly for a few moments, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger until she could think of something else to say.  </p>
<p>They sat and enjoyed talking for another half hour that night until tiredness lamentably drove them to seek their beds. Although she was sleepy as hell, Naz couldn’t drop off right away, lying there basking in the afterglow of getting to better know the man she knew she was very keen.  </p>
<p>She still tingled from feeling his arm, just his arm of all innocuousness occurrences, pressed against hers. Her desire for him was mounting all the time, not helped by the fact she really liked who he was as a person. He was interesting and totally unpretentious. He didn’t try to show off to her or act in outlandish ways to impress her, which she found utterly repellent.</p>
<p>The next morning, after sitting in interrogative questioning without him for a few hours, she looked up from her desk in the control room to see him surface and resumed her little Sy focused daydreaming.  </p>
<p>This time, she focused on the way he looked. Admittedly, she’d never been with a white guy before, her only two boyfriends both non-white (Turkish and mixed race) so his ethnicity in itself held a draw.  </p>
<p>Then, she found herself focusing on the non-obvious, like fantasising about stroking his neck, running her tongue over the column and dragging her nails over his shortly shorn hair. She loved the way a shaved head felt against her fingers.  </p>
<p>She watched avidly as he talked with Kel, his hands laced behind his head making his biceps and forearms flex, wondering how it would feel to be enveloped in those arms, imagining them around her as she sat astride him, kissing him, trailing her fingers over his head and down his neck…</p>
<p>“Naz! Do you want a tea?” Tariq yelled from behind her, a few of the soldiers sitting watching the drone feed monitors all laughing when she jumped in fright. It was more than obvious he’d been trying for a response multiple times.  </p>
<p>“Yes, great! Thanks!” she replied, feeling herself blushing and virtually stuffing her face back into a notebook to continue her translations. She was still simmering slightly from becoming lost in her fantasies when, to add insult to injury, the object of them came and sat down next to her.  </p>
<p>“You’re with Liz and I this afternoon, Naz. So, how’s this all going?” he asked, leaning in close to read what was on her screen. She noted that he didn’t need to at all either, he just did it in order to be that little bit closer to her. It made her tighten in a very specific place.  </p>
<p>“I’ve found a few things that I think our points of interest, but mostly this volume is more him being angry at the west. Again.” She sighed, taking her tea from Tariq with thanks. She was hoping on something big, like the secret locations of the rest of his foot soldiers for one, something the guys watching the drone camera feeds were also hoping would be revealed.  </p>
<p>Her afternoon didn’t go much better either, but at least she got to be in the same room as Sy, she thought, before swiftly kicking herself for having such immature thoughts. ‘He is not a teenage crush and you are not thirteen. Get a grip, woman’ she thought to herself as she followed him to the interrogation room, where al Shadid was waiting.  </p>
<p>“He asks what is going on that he is being questioned by a woman. Apparently, this is unacceptable to him and he demands to speak with Kel,” Naz translated, after the terrorist had thrown a fit at Liz entering the room.  </p>
<p>“You need to get over it,” Liz stated, Naz translating back and stating that she more than agreed with her stance, reminding him that it would serve him better not to be difficult.  </p>
<p>“You don’t even have the right to speak to me, woman! You and this career bullshit! You should go, get a good Muslim man, have babies, make yourself of true use!” he spat at her suddenly, choosing to switch to English. Naz looked on at him incredulously, shaking her head in wonder at this little conniption of his he was revelling in.  </p>
<p>“Oh, I apologise. I didn’t realise my fucking vagina came with a terms and conditions manual,” she retorted, frowning while behind him, Sy snorted with laughter. “Also, please don’t equate me being a woman of Iraqi origin to automatically mean that I’m a Muslim, when in fact I come from a Christian household. That’s very short sighted an assessment of a man who views himself quite as highly as you, Hassan.”  </p>
<p>“Look at that, I’m not sure what offended him more. The fact you believe in body autonomy or that you’re a Middle Eastern woman who doesn’t bend to his particular oppressive brand of Islam. One of my closest friends is a Muslim, also a surgeon too, unmarried and with no children. She’d tip him right over the edge,” Liz chimed in, winking at Naz proudly. “Female or not, we’re both here to do a job, no matter how much your misogynistic backside choses to dislike that.”  </p>
<p>“I’m going with the fact that Naz and her ovaries dared talk back to him. Nope, she’s not what you’re used to, is she?” Sy then commented, taking a seat as the questioning began, al Shadid too furious to reply for a while.  </p>
<p>They were making progress though, he was being worn down as he’d previously shown by shouting at Naz in English, which he’d so far refused to do. His speaking of the language was basic at best.  </p>
<p>When he did voice himself again, it was in Arabic once more, Liz doing a terrific job of putting pressure upon him to give up any other locations of possible shallow graves. There were still missing relatives of dignitaries whom she hoped, but didn’t hold her breath, he might actually reveal were alive.  </p>
<p>Co-operation wouldn’t do him many favours in the position he was in, but she made it clear his treatment would lessen in severity if he had the sense to offer anything of value to their ongoing investigation. After all, he’d been known to take hostages before.  </p>
<p>Originally when the compound was stormed, everyone had hoped to find some of those people languishing within, but alas it was not the case. Neither was garnering much of use from him after the third hour, three hours which stretched into four, then five.  </p>
<p>“I’m going to call time on this for tonight. Take him back to the cellar please, Sy.” Standing up, Naz brushed her hair over her shoulder and accidentally caught her earring, flicking it from her ear onto the floor.  </p>
<p>It was when she bent to grab it that al Shadid made his move, lunging out of the chair before Sy could get a hold on him and grabbing her by the hair, feeding her head behind the chain of his shackles and bending to slacken enough of it to wrap around her throat and pull.  </p>
<p>“You fucking let her go right now, you goddamn piece of shit!” He bellowed, yanking him up as much as he could without further strangling Naz, ripping his handgun from his belt and jamming it against his neck.  </p>
<p>“You won’t shoot me, Syverson. You need me alive,” al Shadid taunted him with, pulling harder on the chain, Naz screaming in pain before her air was brutally cut off.  </p>
<p>“I can fire a slug right into your shoulder, in the muscle here where it’ll hurt like hell to have our medic rip it out again and I guarantee you, with absolutely no pain relief. Do not fucking try me. Let her go, now.” Moving the gun to his shoulder, he was prepared to give him five seconds maximum before shooting him, staring at him menacingly, moving his grip to his throat instead and cutting off his air with a tight squeeze.  </p>
<p>Feeling tears prickling her eyes, her hair being yanked so hard her scalp burned, the pain on her throat unbearable as she fought to breathe, chain links pinching and bruising her skin, Naz held the sob in her throat with everything she had, not wanting to show the asshole who had hold of her any fear until suddenly, he released her.  </p>
<p>She dropped to the floor, breathing heavily as she clutched her throat, Liz at her side in a second while Sy dragged him from the room, adrenaline beginning to rush through her.  </p>
<p>“Are you alright? Here, let me see? Oh, that piece of dirt, he’s broken the skin. Come on, let’s get you up and sorted,” she said, Naz suddenly hauling herself up at speed.  </p>
<p>“No, I need a minute. Just…I need…” she stammered, running from the room past Kel, who had arrived with two other soldiers to investigate the commotion. Meanwhile, al Shadid was being dragged, literally by his neck, by a very, very irate Sy.  </p>
<p>“Still going to shoot me, eh?” he had the gall to suggest cockily once outside the cellar door, Sy picking him up with one hand and slamming him into the wall.  </p>
<p>“Nope. But I am gonna give you something else you deserve.” Putting his gun back, he then punched al Shadid three times in the eye, splitting the skin in three places instantly with the force of each blow. “You lay a hand on her again and trust me, it’ll be the last time you have hands.” Motioning to his men to open the door, he then let go of the shackles and kicked him straight through the opening, turning and heading off at speed to find Naz.  </p>
<p>“Did Naz come through here?” he asked after arriving in the control room, Tariq pointing to the archway that lead to the kitchen and laundry room. The latter is where he found her, bent over the large, stone sink crying. “Hey, you alright?” he asked her softly, unsure if his presence was wanted when she didn’t answer or turn around at first.  </p>
<p>“If you want to be on your own, just say.” He then offered. She didn’t reply in words, turning to him as she cried and wrapping her arms around him, Sy immediately reciprocating. Feeling her trembling in fear made him want to go back down to the cellar and punch al Shadid at least another eight or nine times, perhaps an infinite number of punches, even.  </p>
<p>“It’s alright, darlin’. Come on, you’re okay. You’re safe now.” He reassured her with, stroking her silky hair and letting her sob against his chest. It would be a while before she’d move too, but he was more than fine with that.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to those who are showing an interest and leaving comments. I appreciate you very much for taking the time to read my work.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The steady rhythm of his heartbeat, coupled with the occasional glide of his hand slowly stroking her back as she stood in his strong embrace were what calmed a frightened Naz and eventually helped her stop crying.</p>
<p>“It was my fault. I should have waited until you had hold of him to pick my earring up. I didn’t think,” she said finally, pushing away from him and drying her eyes. “And now I’ve got mascara on your shirt. I’m sorry for that too.”</p>
<p>“It was an impulse reaction; it wasn’t your fault. Also, it isn’t really noticeable on a red shirt with black print. Don’t be dumb, it’s fine” he told her, Naz smiling as she sniffed, Sy reaching out to tip her head back and look at her neck.</p>
<p>“Is it really bad?” she asked.</p>
<p>“It ain’t the best, but it isn’t what I’d constitute as really bad. It just needs cleaning where the chain broke the skin in a couple of places. Wait here, I’ll go grab Pierce.” He told her, Naz nodding as he turned and left. Pierce was Sergeant Luke Pierce, their field medic, currently on guard duty overlooking the perimeters of the compound.</p>
<p>While he was gone, Naz noticed there was soap and a towel so took the opportunity to wash her face clean of her mascara and eyeliner. She felt a little jittery still, holding the soft towel to her face after she’d dried off and zoning out for a few seconds, replaying the moment he’d grabbed her and shuddering.</p>
<p>The two men arrived back after a few minutes, Pierce looking right the way around her neck and finding a few more wounds beneath her hair, cleaning them up swiftly and efficiently with alcohol swabs. “It’ll bruise quite nastily and of course be sore. Avoid using any perfume or lotion until the broken skin heals.” He advised before Sy dismissed him back to his duties.</p>
<p>“How do you feel now? Is there anything I can do, anything you need?” he asked, feeling an uncomfortable tightness in his chest at how sad she looked, her pretty eyes dull and frightened looking still.</p>
<p>“A drink, some quiet and another hug. You have a very comforting embrace.” He made that happen for her after she’d gone and fetched her flask, meeting him back in the laundry room before they went in search of somewhere quiet and unoccupied.</p>
<p>They found an empty room just off the hallways leading to the kitchen, lined with bookshelves and containing a large armchair in the corner by a small window overlooking the vast, empty desert. Sy sat down in it, pulling Naz onto his lap to fulfil the third thing she needed; another hug.</p>
<p>“Did he say anything to you, after you hauled him off?” she suddenly asked, taking a sip from her flask before stashing in next to the hard bulk of Sy’s thigh.</p>
<p>“He made some quip about whether I was going to shoot him or not, so I punched the motherfucker three times in the face and kicked him back into the cellar,” he sniffed in reply, only just noticing in that moment how much his knuckles hurt. Up until that point, he’d been too preoccupied with Naz’s welfare to care.</p>
<p>“Won’t you get in trouble for that?” she asked, turning to look up at him.</p>
<p>“Hell no! He attacked you, he fucking had a lot worse coming to him. Nobody is gonna say shit and even if they did, I wouldn’t care. No one hurts you on my watch,” he replied, Naz thinking how awfully gallant what he’d done was.</p>
<p>Nobody had ever hit someone for her before. She’d also never seen anyone that angry over an injustice done towards her either, remembering just how livid Sy had been with al Shadid, the look on his face as he’d dragged him from the room.</p>
<p>It let her know loud and clear that something was definitely blossoming between them, for him to give that much of a damn about her. Although in just about as close proximity as you could get though, acting on that wasn’t an option for either of them at that moment, no matter how much they separately longed for it. It was neither the time nor the place.</p>
<p>“You know, when I was little, this kid in the sixth grade tried to start bullying me. I was having none of it, even though of course, him being twice the size of me I still got my ass whooped. He was trying to claim dominion over one particular patch of the school yard and told me I’d better not be there the next day.</p>
<p>“If there’s one really great lesson my dad taught me, it was to show no fear, because that’s when they’ve got you. If you show your enemy that you’re scared, they can manipulate you in any way they choose. So, the next day rolls around and I go back to the place I’d been warned away from by this jackass, who is standing there waiting to give me a beating again. Except, he doesn’t get to,” he explained, Naz sitting up a little.</p>
<p>“Why, what did you do?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Kicked him in the balls. He left me alone after that, because he knew I wasn’t afraid of him. Now, I’m not advocating that you do the same, but what I am saying is take a break tomorrow and then go right back down there the day after, show him you’re not afraid of him. That’s exactly what he wants, it’s a terrorist’s M.O, to incite fear. Don’t let him see that he scared you,” he continued, Naz nodding as she listened.</p>
<p>“That makes sense. Thank you, and for looking after me too,” she told him, tucking her head back beneath his chin again and enjoying the comfort of being cuddled against such bulk.</p>
<p>“Anytime.” They fell silent for a while then, Sy sensing she needed the quiet and Naz enjoying just that, silence all around. The only thing she could hear was the sound of him breathing, which was very steadying to her, so much so she felt herself beginning to doze off.</p>
<p>She felt extremely privileged to see this side of him, a side that obviously cared that she’d been terrified by her ordeal and gave that much of a damn to calm her down so reassuringly. One thing she knew about Sy was that he was a very, very hardened man. As amiable as he could be, there was no nonsense about him at all.</p>
<p>When he was angry, he was absolutely ferocious. If someone fucked up on his watch, they knew about it. She’d seen him tear strips off one of his guys a few days ago and thought to herself how intimidated she’d be, coming on the receiving end of a man so acerbic.</p>
<p>The Sy that held her though, he radiated silent strength, knowing he was needed right where he was, his patience unwavering. This only endeared him to her more.</p>
<p>“I’m going to head up to my room, get an early night,” she said after her head lolled for the third time, shifting and getting up, pocketing her flask as he stood and stretched.</p>
<p>“You feeling better now?” He asked as they left the room and headed back through the house.</p>
<p>“Yeah, a little. I think I just need to get a little distance from what happened. I’ll be fine.” They parted ways in the control room, Naz heading upstairs, Sy preparing himself a coffee just as Kel approached.</p>
<p>“How’s she doing?” he asked, frowning with concern and what Sy correctly deduced to be anger. Kel didn’t take kindly to having his staff attacked, especially not by terrorist pieces of shit like al Shadid.</p>
<p>“She’s good, a bit jittery still but calmer. I took her somewhere quiet so she could chill out and she’s better, got Pierce to look at her neck too. She’s not hurt bad, just shaken up. I told her to take a day away from it tomorrow and come back the day after, go straight back down there and show him no fear.</p>
<p>“If he knows he’s got to her, we lose her as a translator for any questioning regarding him. She needs to get back in the saddle quickly, as it were, so she doesn’t lose her nerve,” he explained, Kel nodding.</p>
<p>“Good call. We’ll just have her in here translating tomorrow and get Tariq in the questioning rooms. I’ve called in for another two translators too, in the interests of this not taking longer than it needs to. I’ve got two of my guys flying out tomorrow so they’ll be here Thursday.</p>
<p>“Personally, I’d like nothing more than sleep deprive the shit out of them and pump in some of that god-awful music you listen to, that Lamb of God band you assaulted my eardrums with recently, but we’re under such a microscope after Guantanamo, these methods are classed as war crimes, as you know. I don’t advocate torture, but I would like to make them feel as uncomfortable as possible if it garners results.</p>
<p>“I’m covering your ass for slugging him too, stating I personally saw him stumble and hit his face on concrete, should he try and make something of it at a later date. He deserved it for attacking a woman, one of our own too so my conscience allows me to lie this once. It was smart of you to do it with no one but our guys there to witness it, but no more rage, okay?” Sy nodded, figuring word would likely have spread that right now, al Shadid was sporting the imprint of his fist.</p>
<p>He spent the rest of the evening with his crew until he took over for guard duty, armed with his rifle and a pair of heat seeking goggles so he could see anything coming in the dark, just as the other guys out there on the guard towers were outfitted. All the time, he hoped Naz was managing to sleep and not troubled by what had happened.</p>
<p>By the time he’d finished and was on his way to bed, she was already up, seeing her sitting cross legged on the couch in the control room, looking quite content with her tea as she read, typing with one hand.</p>
<p>He spent a few moments just looking at her from outside the door, smiling when he felt his heart flutter. It wasn’t just strong physical attraction any longer. For the first time in a long, long time, he had very genuine feelings for someone.</p>
<p>“Morning, are you just finishing?” she asked as he came in, giving a few of his crew a nod on the way to her.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m heading up to bed. How are you feeling this morning? Shit, that looks sore,” he replied quietly, gesturing to her neck.</p>
<p>“It is, and I’m alright. I slept well, eventually. Don’t let me keep you, though, you look sleepy,” she replied, although she wished he would wait around a little. Actually, she wished it was just him and her and she was sitting all snuggled up to him again. His arms were a place that felt lovely to be within.</p>
<p>“See you later.” He replied simply, smiling and leaving. She felt her heart sink a little that he didn’t stick around, but reasoned that he had just spent seven hours guarding the compound.</p>
<p>Sitting there motionless for a few moments, she suddenly experienced a maelstrom of thoughts enter her head, remembering all the moments they’d flirted with one another, how he’d acted with her last night, the way her heart skipped a beat whenever she looked at him. It all added together and became the catalyst to her putting her laptop, book and tea down, getting up and heading for the stairs.</p>
<p>She hovered outside his room for a good twenty seconds, her heart thundering with nerves before she knocked the door. After hearing him call ‘yeah’ from the other side, she let herself in, closing the door behind herself and feeling her eyes nearly fall out on the floor. Shirtless Sy. God, what a sight. She’d nearly forgotten how good his chest looked.</p>
<p>“I erm…for an articulate woman, this is frustrating, to struggle with words, so I erm…” she began, Sy walking over to her confidently, happy to lead this as he took her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her.</p>
<p>“Yes, that.” She then added before they kissed again, a deeper, more passionate kiss, one that went right to Naz’s loins as she got her fix, running her fingers over his head and down his neck, just like she’d fantasised. He felt even better than anything her imagination could have conjured.</p>
<p>The way he kissed her was all fiery, urgent need, but still with the kind of sensuality that made her heart skip several beats. She smouldered for him, his arms tightening around her, holding her close and making her able to feel something very large and very hard forming in the front of his pants.</p>
<p>“As much as I don’t want to, I think I’m going to have to let you go now, or I won’t be going to bed alone,” he told her, Naz giggling as he stroked her face and kissed her forehead, glad to see the sparkle back in her eyes again. “Go on, get out of here, you ridiculously sexy woman.”</p>
<p>He gave her another quick kiss before she turned and left, looking down at the raging boner tenting his pants as soon as the door was shut. “You can calm the hell down too.” He told it, muttering to himself before he stripped and gladly climbed into bed, suddenly not feeling quite so tired.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Naz walked back downstairs with a huge grin plastered across her face, checking the coast was clear in both directions before jumping up and down and squeaking excitedly, composing herself in the next moment before re-entering the control room and sitting down, completely straight faced. On the inside though, she was fizzing with joy. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Just remember…you’ll be absolutely fine…and…fuck, you’re so beautiful…don’t show him you’re scared. Take deep breaths…and look at him like he’s completely beneath you…because he is. Speaking of things being beneath you, I hope to be one of them soon, but in a totally different context,” Sy told Naz the following morning, his words punctuated between the heated kisses they shared.</p>
<p>“Sy! You’re incorrigible!” she chided him, thumping his chest playfully. Oh, how she loved it though, to feel so desired by him.</p>
<p>“What? I had to make you laugh somehow. It also lets you know just how sexy I find you too, so it’s a win win,” he replied casually, raising an eyebrow at her.</p>
<p>“Oh you did, did you?” she questioned playfully, leaning away when he went to kiss her again.</p>
<p>“Mmhmm,” he replied, still seeking her lips, smiling when she began giggling.</p>
<p>“Hmm.” Was all she murmured, finally granting the kiss he sought, her whole-body tingling with desire as her tongue swirled with his. It definitely made her feel less nervous about the fact that in ten minutes, she’d be walking down to begin translating for al Shadid again, a prospect she faced with frightened dread.</p>
<p>Spending those last remaining minutes hiding in a darkened corner of the compound with Sy was more enjoyable than fretting in her room alone, as she had been since dawn. They were hidden away in the narrow hallway that lead from the passage to the kitchen and out to the patio area, not a soul other than them around.</p>
<p>Naz absolutely glowed from the kisses they shared, sighing softly into his mouth with longing as she stroked his chest, his bulk so evoking to her, Sy’s hands rested at the small of her back as he tried to keep his thoughts as pure as possible. He wouldn’t have enough time to calm down again if he succumbed to the arousal she stirred within him.</p>
<p>The sound of oncoming voices broke them apart, Sy moving away at speed and Naz quickly letting herself out onto the patio area. Technically, it wasn’t banned for a CIA employee and someone in the military to become involved, but it was likely to be frowned upon, so they were both adhering to the unsaid rule of remaining discreet.</p>
<p>Realising she was running out of time before she had to depart, she took a few deep breaths and picked up her tea off the cupboard she’d left it atop, finishing it as she walked up to the courtyard, where Sy and Kel were waiting for her.</p>
<p>“Ready?” Kel asked, Naz swallowing hard as she nodded. She and Kel went and got situated in the room while Sy fetched al Shadid, Naz taking deep breaths as she took her seat. “You’ll be fine, don’t worry. Sy will be watching him like a hawk for the tiniest of movements.” He reassured her, the door suddenly opening and the two men poles apart in how she regarded them entering.</p>
<p>She felt a little swell in her heart when she saw his face, heavily bruised and his right eye barely open from swelling, witnessing what an irate Sy had done to him, just for her. Naz focused on the calm solace of his arms as he lead the terrorist past her, remembering how safe and warm she felt whenever she was in them. It worked for steadying her escalating heartbeat.</p>
<p>He took his seat, Sy remaining right behind him, al Shadid immediately staring straight at her as a huge, sickeningly smug grin spread across his face. Then, much to her upset, he began to laugh, making a move like he was about to dive at her and absolutely guffawing when she jumped about a foot from her chair, Sy’s hands gripping his shoulders and slamming him back down in his seat again.</p>
<p>“Sit your goddamned ass in your chair and stay there, Hassan!” Kel bellowed at him, eyeing the laughing man with repulsion.</p>
<p>It was that further laughter, such humour in the face of her fear and no conscience about hurting her at all which drove her to act independent to any thought, getting up and storming across the room to kick him straight in the crotch as hard as she could, his roar of pain deafening.</p>
<p>“You do not fucking frighten me, you cockroach. You are the coward here, you! The pathetic excuse for a man who blows up innocent people, who hangs children at the end of a rope without even the bat of an eyelid and attempts to strangle women on what rightfully binds him. You are no man, you are shit!” she screamed at him, albeit in Arabic. She wanted to chew him out in their mother tongue, feeling it had more effect. Also, she always sounded much angrier when she yelled in her native language.</p>
<p>“You let her get away with this?” he raged at Kel, who looked entirely calm and passive.</p>
<p>“Let her get away with what, exactly? I didn’t see Miss Hussein move from her seat, did you, Sy?” he replied, his voice rippling with amusement.</p>
<p>“Move? I have no idea what you’re talking about. She’s been sat right there the entire time,” he replied, folding his arms as he smiled over at Naz. Her actions weren’t one hundred percent right, but he couldn’t blame her for doing what she did. In fact, he was quite proud.</p>
<p>With that, al Shadid realised he wasn’t quite as clever as he thought he was, his actions from the day before yesterday not garnering the response he wanted, which was for the young woman to be utterly terrified of him. Terror, of course, was what he relished in and would seek to incite it wherever he could, even under capture.</p>
<p>The topic of the evening was questioning him over what they actually knew about his actions, all the bombings, kidnappings and murders they had irrefutable evidence over, everything being complied on taped recordings for his eventual war crimes trial.</p>
<p>He was as evasive as ever for the first few hours, tiredness and Kel’s interrogation techniques eventually wearing him down enough to get most of the required information from him. It was 4pm before they were done, Sy going straight to guard duty while Naz took a short break before heading back in to translate for one of al Shadid’s men.</p>
<p>They had great success with the young man whose interrogation went into the evening, the pressure Liz put upon him eventually having him in tears, spilling his guts and revealing a lot more information than he previously would have.</p>
<p>“You’re doing the right thing, Mohammad. Compose yourself and continue.” She told him, translated through Naz as the boy in front of her sniffed and shook. She couldn’t deny her heart went out to him somewhat, being just a kid at fifteen years old.</p>
<p>She’d seen it more than she cared to recall, children being recruited into terrorist fractions because they’ve been brainwashed to feel they have very little in the way of alternative choices.</p>
<p>“How you holding up? I’d maybe like to bring in another before we call it a night, see if we can get another of the boys to crack. The older guys, they’re all so staunchly loyal to al Shadid and their cause, but the younger ones, well, you can see how it appeals to them, to be assured that their co-operation means they might be reunited with their families this side of the next twenty five years,” Liz asked when it was just her and Naz.</p>
<p>“I’m a little hungry, but I can wait for another few hours. It’s only 8pm, after all.” Liz nodded, smiling in a satisfied way. She liked that the two translators both had a lot of dedication to their job, who were people who put aside anything else to get that job done.</p>
<p>It was 11pm before they finished, Naz warming up what she guessed would be another lousy, vacuum packed meal in the microwave and yawning as she felt a large presence behind her suddenly.</p>
<p>Leaning back, her shoulders hit Sy’s chest as he wrapped his arms around her, moving her hair to kiss the side of her neck. Oh, the tingles. Just from one kiss. Her heart quickened when she allowed herself to imagine, just for a moment, what that skilled mouth would feel like lavishing other parts of her body with kisses just as potent.  </p>
<p>“You’re an absolute badass for kicking him in the balls. Although I take responsibility somewhat. I perhaps shouldn’t have given you the idea.” He told her, Naz snorting with laughter as she turned in his arms and gave him a proper kiss quickly. The kitchen tended to have people popping up at all hours, so they had to be careful.</p>
<p>Leaving the kitchen, Naz actually found the vegetable curry she’d heated up to be quite palatable, she and Sy going to sit in the rear lounge with a few of his crew, Tariq present too. In the interests of not raising any suspicions, they sat at opposite ends of the room, only socialising for a couple of hours until Naz decided she wanted to be in quieter company.</p>
<p>Excusing herself, she gave Sy a look that said he should follow at a time that wouldn’t look obvious, heading back to her room and flopping down on her bed gladly, enjoying the relative quiet apart from a few far away voices chattering and laughing. Twenty minutes passed before that quiet was disturbed by the company she was excitedly awaiting.</p>
<p>“Finally, I get to be exactly where I’ve wanted to be all day,” he told her, pulling her against him and kissing her in a way that made her knees almost buckle. He was very domineeringly sexual, something Naz had never experienced in a lover, only being with two men before him.</p>
<p>She found herself swept up in him, in this extremely erotic gravitational pull, kissing him back with matching hunger as he lifted her with ease, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed.</p>
<p>Finally, he was exactly where she wanted him to be, right between her legs as he lay her down, mouth at her neck, hands pushing her top up as goose pimples prickled her body all over, the flames of sexual longing flickering up her spine as he moved to kiss her stomach. However good it felt, though, it was all happening just a little too fast for her liking.</p>
<p>“Sy, sorry but can we keep it a little more PG? It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just I usually don’t move this fast at all with guys. I don’t want you to think less of me, and I don’t want to think less of myself either for falling into bed with you right away,” she spoke, biting her lip nervously.</p>
<p>“Sure, that’s fine. Don’t look so worried, beautiful. I wouldn’t think less of you, just so you know, but it’s your decision,” he assured her, even if inside he was growling with frustration. After all, it had been long over three years since he’d last had sex, and she was absolutely devastating to him.</p>
<p>He understood though, he was too much of a gentleman to force himself on her if it was going to make her feel uncomfortable, so rearranged her top for her and lay down at her side. Also, he had to really respect her own level of self-respect too. He could tell just how much she wanted him, he knew loud and clear from the way that she kissed him.</p>
<p>“Would you consider me too much of a cruel dick tease if I just wanted to lie here and kiss you for a while?” she asked, stroking his chest.</p>
<p>“Yes, I’m leaving right now. Vile temptress.” He joked, making a start to sit up before he lay back down and pulled her close to bestow upon her the kisses she sought. That was all their night consisted of, two hours of talking and kissing, until Sy had to leave since he was on 6am guard duty.</p>
<p>“I’ll see you as some point tomorrow, then,” she began, kissing him longingly at the door. “Oh and by the way, as soon as I am ready, I plan on diving on you. Just so you know.” She then added, squeezing his biceps and giving his earlobe a little nibble. It sent a shudder through him unlike anything he could remember feeling in a long time.</p>
<p>One more kiss had him wishing he could survive on less than five hours sleep, bidding her goodnight and checking the coast was clear before he left, his arousal raging.</p>
<p>“Damn you for not being ready in five minutes, Nazanin.” He grumbled, laughing to himself as he walked three rooms down and let himself into his, all pent up but still, respecting the hell out of her. He knew she’d be worth the wait.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, let me see if I have this correct. You couldn’t choose between them, so you took both of them home? You’re such a man whore!” Naz laughed, Sy looking nonchalant over her reaction as he shrugged.</p>
<p>“I was twenty-one and horny, also home on leave. What can I say?” he replied, stroking her thigh idly where it rested over his hips. What was bubbling up between them had been in full flourish for about a week at that point, still in secret too. It made it all a little bit more exciting, hiding the fact they were dating in a roundabout kind of way.  </p>
<p>Clandestine or not, though, the true thrill was to be found in each other. It had been a long time since either had met someone they clicked so well with. “So, you’ve never had a three way then, huh?”  </p>
<p>“No, I cannot say that particular sexual event has ever occurred within my bed, or anyone else’s for that matter. I’m a little bit stunted where sexual partners are concerned. Although my parents are very progressive in a lot of ways, where dating was they were very conservative, boyfriends were always frowned upon. I had one in Turkey, the boy I lost my virginity to. His name was Asim, he was lovely.  </p>
<p>“My parents always thought we were just friends on account of the fact we’d known each other for so long, so they were never suspicious. He was always at our place after school so we could study together, which eventually evolved into something more. It was all quite cute and fluffy, really. My first time can be constituted as approximately ten seconds of huffing and clueless groping,” she explained, making him laugh.</p>
<p>“Yeah, mine too. I was considerably younger as well, thirteen. Okay, stop looking at me like that! I like the ladies, what can I say?” he began, playfully pinching her leg when she gave him an incredulous, wide eyed look. “One thing about me I can say hand on heart though is that when I make a commitment to someone, I’m damned hard to shake off. I don’t have a wondering eye either. So, only one boyfriend?” he replied and inquired, Naz shaking her head.</p>
<p>“No, there’s been one more, too. Ben, who I was with fresh out of university and stayed with up until two years ago. Between my studies and my eventual career, finding someone to be with has just never been a priority to me and for everything else, I have a heck of an extensive toy collection,” she informed him, winking.</p>
<p>“Kinky gal,” he commented, looking very interested by such a confession.</p>
<p>“I have my moments.” They paused then to enjoy a few moments of hot, syrupy kisses, stroking one another fondly as they basked in that brand new, ‘you’re just too good to be true’ glow all couples relish in right at the start of a relationship. “So, who was your last significant relationship with?” Naz finally asked when they came up for air.  </p>
<p>“That would be Heather, my ex-wife,” he began, Naz feeling an unpleasant little jolt run through her to learn he’d been married before. She wasn’t sure why either, since it changed nothing about the present.  </p>
<p>“We met when I was twenty-three, married a year later and divorced three and a half years ago. It was all finalised just before I left to come out here. She didn’t take it too well, but I didn’t see many options, going forward.” He stared at a spot on the ceiling while frowning as he remembered that time, how impossible it had all become in the end.</p>
<p>“What caused it, if you don’t mind me asking?” Naz questioned softly, her nails tickling swirly patterns across his neck.  </p>
<p>“Of course I don’t mind, baby,” he told her, taking her hand and kissing it. It made her heart flutter, to hear him call her baby. “We wanted kids and it just didn’t work, which became progressively tougher when we discovered she was the one with the fertility issues. She refused to believe it at first and we spent an absolute fortune going down the in vitro route, but when it still didn’t work, she became quite withdrawn.  </p>
<p>“What made it more difficult was the fact I was away so much, out in Afghanistan at the time. We just weren’t around another enough to heal the damage growing between us. I tried suggesting adoption, bringing home a kid from some war-torn country or something, but fuck, did I get my head ripped off for suggesting that. It was a baby of our own, or no deal.  </p>
<p>“Although she made it too difficult for me to stay, I don’t blame her at all for it ending. She went through hell, realising she’d likely never conceive. I can’t really relate to that since I wasn’t the one with the issue, quite the opposite, in fact. That didn’t make it any easier, for her to hear her husband had a higher than average sperm count. So yeah, it kinda nosedived disastrously.  </p>
<p>“Getting out here was the best thing for me though, kept my mind off missing her. Shit, I still loved the hell out of the woman for about a year after we’d separated, but I’m over it now. I remember how difficult it all was and it makes me realise I definitely did the right thing, moving on,” he explained, Naz leaning over and kissing his cheek.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry you had to go through something so painful,” she sympathised, Sy taking her hand and kissing her wrist a few times.  </p>
<p>“But not that sorry, because you wouldn’t be lying here with me like this right now if I was still married,” he reminded her brightly, grinning.  </p>
<p>“Well no, this is true!” Cuddling up to him, she realised she’d truly never had a connection with anyone like what she shared with him before. True, her relationship history had been limited, but she’d dated, she’d put herself out there. Never in that time had she met anyone quite like Sy, though.  </p>
<p>She was enjoying getting to know him very much, even if their late night talks did often leave her quite tired the following day, he was worth it. She absolutely couldn’t wait until it was just them, tingling with excitement every day until she was back in his arms, relishing in the little moments throughout the day where he’d take her by surprise and herd her off into an unoccupied room to steal a few kisses.  </p>
<p>She liked how bold he was, always very direct and upfront with people. He did have a hard outer edge and by that point, she’d witnessed the grumpy Sy she’d heard about, but said grumpiness had never been directed at her.  </p>
<p>He was also strong and absolutely fearless, traits she wished she didn’t feel like she was lacking in. Then, there was his physicality. At six foot two tall, he towered over her five foot seven height nicely, making her feel small, which she liked.  </p>
<p>He so built too, so solid and hard. Sy was the definition of power and rugged manliness, he had a raw sexuality about him that drove her wild. She knew already he’d knock the wind out of her by the time she did let him between her legs.</p>
<p>As for Sy, Naz was definitely unlike any other woman he’d ever met. He couldn’t remember ever being made to wait for the sexual element of a relationship to resume for one thing, still respecting her so much for it, although his loins burned for her on a daily basis.  </p>
<p>She was sexy in a way that wasn’t contrived at all, also the way she looked at him, the desire he could see in her eyes, it drove him utterly crazy. Her eyes… her beautiful, stormy grey eyes. They were the most alluring he’d ever seen.  </p>
<p>Then there was her hair, like black spun silk and also her skin, her beautiful, creamy coffee coloured skin that was so soft and perpetually florally scented. He could get lost in her scent, just as he could the feel of her against him, her slender curves seeming to fit with his shape like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.</p>
<p>Just looking at her aroused him, if he let his thoughts get carried away, if he imagined stripping and licking her all over before burying his tongue against her womanhood, imagining her moaning for him, writhing against him, being inside of her, feeling her nakedness pressed to his, it became too much for him. He could only indulge those thoughts by himself, for they instantly went right to his dick.  </p>
<p>He also appreciated how intelligent she was, how much of a hard worker and how determined she’d been thus far in her life too. She’d applied for a role within the CIA three times and been turned down each time, until on her fourth – and after intensively learning German for two years to give her an edge against her competitors – she’d been accepted as a translator.</p>
<p>“I suppose I’d better get back to my room, since we both have to be up again in six hours. Booooo,” she said a time after lying there feeling her lips bruise from all the kisses she was receiving. God, could the man kiss.  </p>
<p>“Well, you don’t have to. Stay here if you want, I’d like to have something soft and pretty so fall asleep next to. A scorpion tried to get up here the other night and I had to tell him, no, dude, you’re too pinchy and aggressive, with the pincers and the sting and all,” he told her, Naz laughing.</p>
<p>“I suppose I could, but no funny business!” she told him, laughing more when he pulled a silly face and held his hands up defensively.  </p>
<p>“I’ll be on my best behaviour, ma’am.” He assured, saluting her. She ran back to her room to fetch her cell phone and water bottle, quickly heading for the bathroom to wash and clean her teeth too before sneaking back to him, finding him already undressed beneath the blanket.  </p>
<p>Getting to curl up next to him, both down to their underwear was tempting for her, almost wanting to give in on a couple of occasions, his skin felt so good pressed to hers as he lay behind her, one arm draped over her waist as his hand stroked her tummy. No matter how aggressively her insides crackled with heat for him, though, it would be worth the wait.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>kmhappybunny240  A big thank you for your diligent comments on every chapter. I very much appreciate you taking the time to leave a few thoughts. If anyone else is reading and enjoying, I do very much hope to hear from you too!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sweetie, you finally managed to get a connection! Hi! I miss you so, so much!”</p><p>“I miss you so, so much, too! It might cut out again but fingers crossed it works. How are you?” Naz gushed as she finally managed to get Skype working in order to talk to Leanne, one of her closest friends. Her other two BFF’s, Leah and Kate she’d managed to have conversations with, but for some reason, it had been no joy with Leanne.</p><p>“I’m really good! Glad you called, actually, because now I can take a legitimate break between projects and talk to you instead of sending out the intern to Baskin Robbins so that I can feed my face!” Leanne giggled, Naz groaning.</p><p>“Please, don’t mention doughnuts! I miss them so much. So how is work? Do you have much on today?” she inquired. Leanne worked as a laboratory chemist for a big pharmaceutical company, she and Naz friends since their days at Yale where they’d eventually shared a room together in their second year.</p><p>The two women chatted about work for a while, Leanne wishing Naz could reveal more about the ins and outs of her translation work, but she was bound by secrecy to not reveal such to civilians. All Leanne knew was that she was interpreting the questioning of al Shadid, but the finer details were off limits.</p><p>“So, there’s something else I need to tell you. I erm…I’m kind of dating someone, about as much as we can date since we’re in the middle of the desert, so dates consist of conversations in my room or his,” she then revealed, Leanne looking very surprised.</p><p>“Oh? Now, now, Miss Hussein. Do tell everything!” she replied, excited by this news.</p><p>“He’s an army captain, his name is James Syverson but everyone calls him Sy mostly, occasionally Jim but that’s mainly by his friend Calvin who is in the same regiment as him. He’s thirty-five, so a little bit older than me, he’s from Texas and he’s absolutely gorgeous!” she gushed, Leanne dancing in her seat as she made squeaking noises.</p><p>“Oh my god, this is so exciting! Do you have a picture of him that you can show me? Girl, I need to see this new man since you’re not exactly local right now and I can’t meet him!” she requested, Naz laughing as she turned over on her bed.</p><p>“I do, actually. He took some convincing because he’s a fucking grump when he wants to be, but I got a few nice ones of us the other night,” she replied, locating her pictures and choosing her favourite to share with her.</p><p>“Jesus, he’s hot!” Leanne exclaimed once it had loaded, Naz laughing loudly as she witnessed her friends dangling jaw. “Oh, girl. You must be having so much fun with him whenever you can get it.”</p><p>“Well, sort of. I told him I didn’t want to have sex with him too quickly, so he’s been patiently waiting for almost three weeks now. I think it’s time to reward him, because damn, I’m so horny!” she revealed, Leanne laughing hard.</p><p>“I would be too, if he was what I had to play with!” she began, winking. “You can’t just let him have at you, though. You have to tease him a little first, honey. You know that!”</p><p>“I don’t know. Do I really?” Naz questioned, all this quite new to her since of course, she’d only ever been with Asim and Ben.</p><p>“Oh, you absolutely need to get into sending some flirty pictures and suggestive messages to him! I mean, you can do that, right? I know how busy you are and the importance of your task at hand currently,” she then pondered.</p><p>“I could, actually. He’s in guard duty right now and I’m finished for the night. He won’t be done for another three hours, so I guess I could. I’ve sent him messages before while he’s been up in the watch towers. It sometimes takes him a while to reply because of course, he’s keeping his eyes peeled for insurgents, but he’d see it eventually,” she informed her, beginning to grin.</p><p>“Then tousle your hair, line your eyes in the way that always makes them pop and look extra bright and then show him what he gets to play with once he’s done!” Leanne suggested, grinning.</p><p>“Oh, so you’ve decided I’m going to have sex with him tonight, have you? You’re not content with deciding what strange and mind-bending cocktails I should drink at any given time on a night out, but now you have to dictate when I’m getting laid too, hmm?” she asked jokingly, Leanne giggling.</p><p>“Yes, because look at him! How can you make a man that gorgeous wait?” Leanne had a fair point at this stage, she guessed. Also, Naz felt he deserved to be rewarded for being patient and not once attempting anything other than kissing her in near three weeks since it had begun.</p><p>She agreed it was a good plan and with that, they continued their conversation until Leanne had to go back to work, Naz deciding to Skype with her mom since she had the luck of good connection for once and the evening to herself.</p><p>Kel had rewarded her with a night off since she’d been up since 4am that morning, telling her she could take the time to do whatever she liked rather than translating. Unfortunately, what she wanted to do was on guard duty.</p><p>Still though, until she had him back in her arms, putting Leanne’s suggestion into practice would surely garner a little fun and definitely ramp up the sexual tension that had been steadily building between them.</p><p>She hadn’t brought much makeup with her, foregoing anything more than kohl liner and mascara most days, but she did have her liquid liner with her, lining her eyes in the way that Leanne had suggested, making them all dark and smoky, dotting her cheeks with a little blush and glossing her lips.</p><p>Holding her head upside down, she shook her mountain of obsidian tresses, making her hair look sexily tousled. Luckily, she only believed in wearing lovely underwear, special occasion or not, so took off her t shirt and tightened the straps on her black satin bra, making her cleavage sit a little higher before donning a suitably smouldering pout and taking the selfie.</p><p>‘Come and get me as soon as you’re done’ she sent to him on a Whatsapp message, followed by a kiss and a wink smiley. Twenty-five minutes later…</p><p>‘I’m gonna put you over my knee for that, being such a smoking hot dick tease when I can’t get to you for another two hours. Damn you, lady. Look what you went and did…’</p><p>She waited, suddenly receiving a picture of him grasping his erection through his pants, a shiver running through her. She’d felt his cock hardening against her a few times by that point and well, it felt humongous. The picture, although not particularly detailed since he was fully clothed, did nothing to dissuade that.</p><p>“It’ll go down, eventually. As will I when you get here’ she sent him back. Up in the guard tower, Sy was trying to think of ways he could get away early, but knew he couldn’t mess up the rotation since it had been devised by his superior and not him, lust raging though him as he imagined being on the receiving end of a blow job from his gorgeous new girlfriend.</p><p>“I’m meant to be keeping the watch and there’s you, making me all fucking horny, you bad, bad woman.” He spoke to the picture of her, smiling and running his thumb over her image affectionately before returning his phone to his pocket and looking out over the desert.</p><p>By the time 10pm rolled around, his heart was hammering in his chest with anticipation as he ran to the shower block, took a twenty second shower, dried and grabbed something to eat and drink at warp speed before he left a little time to digest, chatting with Tom and Calvin before heading to Naz’s room.</p><p>“Ahhhh, finally,” she purred, closing the door behind him as he reached for her, picking her up with ease.</p><p>“You better be ready, because I’m so fucking pent up right now I’m gonna sexually destroy you, you do realise that, don’t you?” he told her, Naz grinning.</p><p>“You’d better.” With that their mouths locked together in an explosive kiss, both groaning with anticipation that they were about to enjoy one on other completely and totally, and if Sy had his way, until the sun came up. Sleep be damned.</p><p>Just over three years was a long time for a man as sexual as he was to go without being with a woman, and now he had one as beautiful as the lady he lay above of on the bed, he wasn’t about to scrimp on that enjoyment.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The fluidity of their movements as they undressed each other was neither hurried nor fumbled, a sensual revelation of one another’s flesh as their mouths locked together, burning with anticipation.</p>
<p>While the culmination of their desire and longing for one another had been desperately sought, this enjoyment was savoured, slow burning like napalm, all slow fire but the hunger barely contained as they kissed with furious longing.</p>
<p>To have his skin pressed against her, her hands delighting in taking a tour of his newly revealed nakedness as his body blanketed hers gave Naz the kind of buzz little else seldom ever had. Just the feel, the heat, the weight of him. He was divine.</p>
<p>His hands clasped hers, kissing her forcefully before his fingers trailed slowly down her arms, his mouth burying itself at the side of her neck, her scent overpowering, everything that was her flooding him, her exotic beauty claiming him completely.</p>
<p>Through the tightness of their embrace, her eyes widened at feeling his cock, rigidly erect at her hip, a swollen mass that her hand slid beneath him to grasp, her reaction suddenly injecting humour into the proceedings.</p>
<p>“Fucking hell, does it ever end?” she exclaimed while smoothing her palm up it, Sy laughing quietly at her assessment.</p>
<p>“Eventually.” He replied with a smug expression, closing his eyes tightly as she squeezed him and nipping the underside of her breast in response before slipping from her grasp. If he let her touch him too much, he’d be done before he even began. Just that one squeeze had him pulsing strongly against her.</p>
<p>Ebullience skittered through her just from his tongue circling her navel, Sy wasting absolutely no time in sinking down lower to exactly where he’d craved to be. He could tease her mercilessly another time, perhaps when he wasn’t so hungry to eat her alive.</p>
<p>When his tongue met her already glistening folds, her hips rolled up from the bed, legs quaking as he caught her clit in a long, flat lick, the tip of his tongue tickling her entrance before it slowly dragged against her. Another lick followed, just as firm, his groan at how beautiful she tasted filling the air, citrus honey flooding his tongue and senses.</p>
<p>His hands held her hips down as she shook violently, her soft gasps making his arousal soar. He’d barely even begun and yet, she was a mess against his mouth. There was a specific reason why, too. This pleasure conjured by his tongue was the first she’d ever experienced, no one ever having gone down on her before.</p>
<p>Asim and she had barely known what they were doing and Ben didn’t like it, it was a simple as that, so for Naz, that moment was an extremely thorough eye opener over exactly what she’d been missing for so long.</p>
<p>“Mmmmm, fuck!” she exclaimed, trying not to be too loud, panting hard as her fingertips stroked his shaved head, the coarseness of his beard prickling her as he sucked her cunt, devouring her with his mouth as he moaned, deep, rumbling groans of a man out of his mind with lust.</p>
<p>What his mouth evoked drew all manner of noises from her, but she kept them low in volume, her sweet little gasps of pleasure making his arousal rage as he felt her clit hardening against his tongue, circling it slowly as he opened his eyes to watch her writhe on the bed.</p>
<p>“You enjoying yourself, beautiful?” he asked as he paused, kissing his way up her thigh and over her knee. How could it feel so good, his lips at her knee of all places?</p>
<p>“Don’t you dare stop! Not now I know how incredible this feels,” she murmured, Sy watching her cunt gently spasm, not able to resist pushing his middle finger within, curling it around and coaxing a deep groan from her.</p>
<p>“You make it sound like mine is the first mouth you’ve had all over this pretty little pussy,” he commented, feeling her clenching around him as he began to rub his finger faster, locating her g spot with ease.</p>
<p>“It is, ahhhh, fuck!” she cursed, her wetness squelching lewdly, her inner muscles brightening against his touch.</p>
<p>“What?” he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, stopping momentarily.</p>
<p>“Now is not the time to ask why, now is the time to please, please continue!” she pleaded, without a trace of shame. She wanted that mouth and she wanted it all over when her pleasure crackled like a live current.</p>
<p>“Continue? Darlin’, you’ll have to beg me to stop.” His mouth reconnected with her velvet wetness, his finger still working her as he slid a second in to accompany it, her slick arousal bathing his tongue as he moved it in a fast beat over her clit.</p>
<p>He then alternated by sucking at her hungrily, his cheeks hollowing as he worked his fingers faster, Naz making an almost strangulated noise as she gritted her teeth, her body tensing. Five years with Ben and absolutely nothing had felt as good as what Sy had bestowed on her with just his mouth in five minutes.</p>
<p>Her bud was once again bathed in the wet heat of incessant, quickly licked circles, his fingers gliding in and out of her with ease, getting her so wet that her dew trickled down the back of his hand. That in itself had his cock twitching wildly, dying to be within her but also knowing he was in no rush to move his mouth.</p>
<p>He ate her fervently, greedily consuming her as she shook against him, feeling herself begin to come undone. It was a sensation like no other, his fingers driving into her hard as his tongue flicked against her clit with a fast, unyielding beat, her groin tingling as she went rigid and came suddenly with a series of little cries, his hand clasping over her mouth when she got too loud to go unheard.</p>
<p>The abyss of pleasure he chased her into with his mouth was yet to cease, Sy letting her cool down a little before he returned his tongue to her. He rolled it over her clit a few times, Naz jolting from oversensitivity a little until it only felt blissful once more, feeling him keenly push it inside her.</p>
<p>Her slick muscles flexed as he tasted her sweet little hole, groaning deeply as his big, rough hands gripped her waist. Some people, such as her ex, hated pleasuring a woman with their mouth. Then there were people like Sy, who could happily stay between a woman’s legs with a mouthful of her pussy for hours.</p>
<p>Naz lay back in absolute heaven as she panted, nails grazing his scalp, her pleasure welling up again strongly, the coil within her tightening as the lightning hit again, this time all prompted by the slow circling of his tongue around her clit, nothing more, but fuck, how he made her ache for his cock.</p>
<p>Yet still, he did not stop. The sharp pain of her arousal, tingling all through her core persisted as he sucked at her, his hands stroking her lower back as her body arched, absolutely lost to the sensations he gave.</p>
<p>She fell apart again, shattered into pieces against his relentless mouth. This time, though, he emerged, kissing his way back up her body until his tongue danced with hers, pushing himself for entrance, not able to wait a moment longer. He had to be inside her.</p>
<p>He didn’t even need to guide himself, a simple shift of her hips facilitated the push within to be complete, joined at last, staring at one another as he stroked her face, his heart pounding in her perfect rhythm with hers.</p>
<p>They kissed again as he bottomed out, her soft, sweet moan meeting a groan so barbarous and deep, Sy resting his weight on his elbows as he felt her nails glide sumptuously over his neck. His cock was so big, thick and heavy within her, dragging her walls, Naz wrapping her legs around his waist and feeling him sink within her fully. Fuck, he felt better than anything.</p>
<p>He filled her completely, her cunt at complete capacity with him. She was absolutely overcome by him, such raw manliness, his strong prowess, him, him, just him.</p>
<p>“Fuck, baby. If I only last two minutes, I apologise. Just know I will go without sleep in order to spend all night making that up to you. Damn, you’re so fucking wet.” He told her through an overly aroused groan, Naz laughing softly as she stroked his beard and kissed him again, biting his lower lip when he suddenly thrust into her a little more voraciously.</p>
<p>Her soft little cries filled his ears, completely drowning in him, her body moving against his in perfect sync as he began to pound her hard, the heat between them sparking wildly as he drove into her with wanton force.</p>
<p>The moans began to pour from both of their mouths, silencing each other wish feverish kisses as the euphoric rush grew more intensely with every thrust. He hit her at every angle, every depth, his mouth at her neck as his hands cupped her breasts, Naz absolutely floored by how deliciously incredible a lover he was.</p>
<p>Perspiration began to bead their skin, Sy pounding her pussy with merciless delivery before suddenly sitting up and pulling her against him, grasping her butt and bouncing her on his cock as they groaned and kissed, still desperately trying to keep quiet. Luckily, the walls weren’t too thin, but the door was. They could easily be heard by Sy’s crew in the rooms either side if things became too loud.</p>
<p>Squeezing her legs around him, the tip of his cock hitting her deeply again and again, Naz wrapped her arms around his neck, staring into his beautiful, stormy blue eyes, her heart fluttering wildly. No other man had made her feel such erotic intensity before.</p>
<p>“So goddamn gorgeous, with the most perfect ass in the fucking world. Mmmm, baby doll. Fuck, you feel good.” He groaned, spanking her a few times and making her squeak a little too loud, silencing her with the kind of kisses that made her heart flutter even more furiously than before.</p>
<p>His arms locked around her as she began grinding down on him hard, their culmination surging, rushing, like a wave about to crash against a cliff, everything fervid and urgent until…bliss. Supreme bliss as she came just before him, white hot fury pulsing through her, both spent and panting in the aftermath.</p>
<p>She clung to his sweaty body, fighting for breath, her forehead rested to his shoulder as he stroked her hair, still gently gliding up and down on his twitching cock before enjoying stillness, the stretch of his thickness blissful within her post-orgasmic walls.</p>
<p>“Well, I think I managed a whole five minutes there, so give me a little time and believe me, baby, a lot of redemption will be coming your way. Literally,” he told her, stroking her hair.</p>
<p>“Good, because you’ve lit a fire in me that’s not about to go out any time soon,” she assured him, Sy grinning before he kissed again. He then had a sudden thought that made his eyes widen.</p>
<p>“Oh fuck…please tell me I haven’t likely just got you pregnant,” he asked, hardly able to believe he’d been so foolish as to bareback her. Being out of his head with lust wasn’t truly a cogent excuse, although it had been the reason why.</p>
<p>“Relax, I have an IUD and also nothing that’ll give you a rash either,” she confirmed, watching him breathe a sigh of relief. “We were a little hasty there.”</p>
<p>“Me neither, and you’re right, we were. But in my defence, look at you. Damn.” She took that as a compliment, smiling as she stroked his beard and kissed him again. Naz knew in that moment she could definitely get used to feeling as desired as she did by the handsome man in her arms.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="post-content">
  <p>‘Fuck, I swear, he’s going to go through me! How…the…hell…how is he real? How can he pound the hell out of me this hard and fast and not have cum yet?’ Naz thought to herself as Sy absolutely ruined her, slamming into her wetness with unbridled fury as he bent her over the small chest of drawers in her room, the bed much too squeaky to be able to fuck her with the kind of voracity he was at that moment.  </p>
  <p>It was insane, how relentless he was, one hand grasping her shoulder while the other held onto the crude gag he’d made her wear. He tightly wound the vest top she’d been wearing and made her bite onto it to muffle her noises, holding the two ends tightly within his fist at the back of her head.</p>
  <p>She loved how merciless he was with her, how desired and sexy she felt to have a man fuck her, to really, really give every last inch of his hardness to her in such hard, unyielding thrusts. He was her fantasies personified, her body twitching and glimmering as once again he got her there, her g spot in spasm, slick walls locking around him tightly and milking his orgasm from him.  </p>
  <p>He pulled out, the last two loads of ejaculate he’d shot into her soon following, dripping onto the floor as he rested his head against her back, breathing ragged. If you’d have asked him, he’d have told you he had absolutely no idea how he’d managed to cum so quietly with the force of the orgasm that had just burned through him, but he had.  </p>
  <p>He let go of her gag, Naz making him laugh quietly when she thumped her fist off the dresser in exclamation, still panting heavily as she turned and hoisted herself up atop it, wrapping her legs around him and pulling him near.  </p>
  <p>“You have to be…just about the sexiest man…I have ever known. Please tell me you’re not tired,” she panted between kisses.</p>
  <p>“I’m not tired,” he told her immediately, mouth claiming hers once more as his fingertips circled her dark nipples, tipping her back to suck and nibble them in turn.  </p>
  <p>“I could definitely get used to this.” She purred, tickling his beard with her nails before he forcefully pushed her flat against the top of the drawers, pulling her legs over his shoulders and burying his mouth between them.  </p>
  <p>She realised that before him, her sex life could be summed up entirely with one word. Boring. Asim she discounted as her first time hadn’t really been much of anything, but with Ben she realised she’d pandered to his tastes, him being very basic and vanilla where sex was concerned.  </p>
  <p>She’d never been able to participate in the wild stories her girlfriends shared about amazing nights of passion, because she hadn’t had any until that very night. She’d never been able to explore what she might or might not like, not until Sy.  </p>
  <p>For example, she had no idea until that very moment, feeling his tongue moving in a fast beat up and down over her clit, that she also very much liked it when he slid two fingers into her pussy and his little finger into her ass. She liked it even more when he fucked her with them, quickly and unabatedly, Naz lifting her vest top gag again and biting down on it as she growled with ecstasy.  </p>
  <p>That was another thing. Never in her life had she been particularly loud, but with Sy, the need to verbalise her pleasure was nigh on impossible to hang onto. She did realise it was likely because she couldn’t though, biting the fabric in her mouth hard as she felt her clit sucked on hard.  </p>
  <p>His biceps flexed with effort as he assailed her with his fingers, knuckles punching against her as he felt her thighs tightening at the sides of his head. Just that in itself, feeling the way her body physically reacted to him made his cock begin to stir once more. There was no way he could catch up with three years of circumstantial celibacy in three hours, but he was nothing if not determined.  </p>
  <p>He couldn’t believe she was as sexually inexperienced as she claimed either, the way she moved against him was in stark contrast to that, as was when after she’d cum against his tongue, she dismounted the dresser, pushed him against it and crouched to begin giving him the most amazing blowjob he’d ever had.  </p>
  <p>“Fuck, baby. Where’s the other end popping out? Damn, that’s talent,” he exclaimed, laughing a little in disbelief as she took his entirety into her mouth.  </p>
  <p>“I learned how to sword swallow and eat fire too, some circus training day I went to with Leanne and kept up with. The fire eating I keep out of the bedroom, but making large objects disappear down my throat is a handy skill to have, especially right now with this big, fat, monster dick of yours.” She replied with a wink, circling the head of his hardness with her tongue before making him vanish once more.  </p>
  <p>He wasn’t about to argue with that assessment of his massive appendage, grinning as he watched her sucking on him with aplomb. He pulsed against her lips, veins thickening as his shaft hardened further, the friction of the head of his cock sliding against her throat making him burn.  </p>
  <p>When she began using her hand too, he considered gagging himself, it felt that good. He managed to remain relatively quiet though, cursing as he held her hair away from her face and continued to watch her, Naz looking up at him sultrily, her nails tickling down his abs.  </p>
  <p>She sped up her movements, making him pant, his hands tightening in her hair as his hips began to thrust against her face. Letting go with one hand, he gripped the edge of the drawers with his other, closing his eyes tightly and moaning deep in his throat, waves of ebullience throbbing through him until he spilled into her throat, Naz swallowing every last drop of cum.  </p>
  <p>A rest period followed, realising that at some point they did have to stop, no matter how much they were enjoying themselves. However, it gave way to something else the fledgling couple enjoyed partaking in; conversation.  </p>
  <p>“So how was it, living in a predominantly Muslim country as a Christian family?” Sy asked, holding Naz against his chest as he idly stroked her back.  </p>
  <p>“I don’t really remember too much since we left Iraq when I was so young, but the Syriac Christian community was not small by any stretch, so we weren’t ostracised for our beliefs or anything like that. People such as al Shadid, a hard-line Muslim who upholds Sharia, of course, would take much issue with us, as would any other fanatic,” she explained, Sy nodding.  </p>
  <p>“So, you’re actually Assyrian then, going by your faith?” he then asked, keen to learn more. Naz was impressed that he knew such, since most were clueless over which faiths related to what groups of people within Iraq.  </p>
  <p>“My grandparents are Assyrian on my dad’s side and my mom converted from Islam. She’s pretty much non-denominational Christian now, though. My dad and sisters are still very much into church going, but mom found her own way forward with her faith. 

“She says she sees god all around her every day and that this gives her solace and faith, which I think is beautiful. She also helped me come to terms with my decision to follow agnosticism, which I have since I turned twelve. So, how about you? What is your religious or non-religious path?” she asked, circling his nipple with her nails.</p>
  <p>“Non-religious, but then again my parents aren’t particularly either, but they swing more towards your way of thinking, whereas I’m a flat-out atheist. Not like these jerks on the internet, or that militant prick Richard Dawkins, but I just don’t believe. Serving in the army for so long and seeing what I’ve seen made me really question the existence of a god,” he explained, Naz nodding.  </p>
  <p>“I can understand that, I really can. The horrors of this world were one of the reasons why I began to question my faith,” she shared, Sy suddenly shifting to lie on top of her.</p>
  <p>“There’s only one place of worship I believe in these days. I’ve actually found a new altar quite recently, in fact,” he spoke, before his mouth laid a trail of hot, eager kisses down her body.</p>
  <p>“And where might this altar you speak of be located?” she asked, her voice rich with amusement. She knew already, of course.</p>
  <p>“Right here.” She was inclined to agree, for as she was learning, it was nothing short of a religious experience whenever Sy went down on her.  </p>
</div><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Although when Sy was on duty, his mind was one hundred percent focused on his job and nothing but nothing got in the way of that focus, it didn’t mean that the sight of Naz didn’t make him smile internally and feel his heart flutter every time he saw her. He couldn’t remember feeling the way he did about a woman this soon, not even with Heather.  </p>
<p>When working, they were the consummate professionals, so focused on the task in hand that they barely looked at one another, save the occasional small glance or fleeting smile here and there. When they were finally alone again, though, when it was just them…</p>
<p>“What time is it? Is it morning?” Naz asked sleepily, feeling the mattress bow with Sy’s weight behind her, his big arms wrapping around her as he cuddled into her shape, kissing her shoulder.  </p>
<p>“No, baby doll. It’s 2am, go back to sleep.” She smiled into the darkness as she stroked his forearm, bubbling with how lovely it was that he’d finished guard duty and come straight to her with the sole intention of wanting to fall asleep by her side.  </p>
<p>Perhaps it wasn’t the most entirely magnanimous of sentiments, though, because if there was one thing Sy thrived upon come the morning…</p>
<p>“Ahhh, fuck, fuck, fuck!” Naz gasped as he ploughed her roughly, holding her legs high and wide as he watched his glistening cock absolutely pounding into her slippery cunt. Bringing her legs to rest over his shoulders, he gripped her thigh while splaying his other hand out across her stomach, his thumb stretching down to stroke her clit in time with each furious thrust.  </p>
<p>She tightened around him, his cock squeezed by wet heat, his groin pulsing rapidly as he felt his ascent into heavenly pleasure engulf him completely, Naz biting her lip as she writhed against him, waves of utter bliss fucked into her by ever quickening thrusts until everything slowed, becoming calm and still once more.  </p>
<p>“Damn, I love you,” he breathed, still catching his breath, the words tumbling from his mouth before his post-orgasmic addled brain had chance to assess them. He’d felt it bubbling up within him for a few days, knowing he really was in love with her. It was the consummation of their relationship becoming sexual that had truly sealed it for him, though.</p>
<p>“I love you, too. I’m not simply saying that because you’ve just made me cum so hard I can barely remember my own name either. I love you, habib albi,” she told him, stroking his face when he moved to look down at her and return the gesture.</p>
<p>“What does that mean, habib albi?” he asked, stroking her hair.  </p>
<p>“Love of my heart.” He smiled at her, taking in her beautiful face, her smoky grey eyes, all that made his pulse quicken, realising he truly had never felt a love like he had for her.  </p>
<p>It was reflected back for Naz, captivated by him, smiling as he rested his forehead to hers and kissed her. Her entire body glowed with happiness at hearing him revel how he felt. She’d panicked inside, knowing she was falling in love with him and hoping it wasn’t too soon. Scaring him off was the scariest prospect to her. She felt very secure that her deep affection for him was one hundred percent reciprocated.</p>
<p>What they would have liked nothing more that early morning would have been to lie there and enjoy one another, bask in their affection and newly declared love for one another. Before them was the usual busy day though, Sy going straight into the questioning rooms with Liz and Tariq while Naz stayed with Farooq, one of the new translators, pouring over the notebooks.</p>
<p>She lost herself into the work, really wanting to push forward with it since they only had another fifty or so books from the original vast pile to work through now, but whenever she let herself take a mental break, her heart somersaulted in her chest when she remembered four very important words; ‘damn, I love you.’</p>
<p>She honestly hadn’t expected him to feel such as quickly as she had. He was a very hardened man and although she saw a different side of him when it was just them, it had still been a worry, falling for him as quickly as she had. She’d never been bitten by the love bug quite so soon, or with such sharp teeth either, as it were.  </p>
<p>Every time he called her baby, she grinned ridiculously. Ben hadn’t been big on affectionate names at all, so to hear Sy murmur them to her was an occurrence she was in no rush to cease hearing. Especially when the word was preceded by a certain other three.</p>
<p>“I love you, baby.” He whispered discreetly that afternoon, while they were on their way to question al Shadid’s right hand man, who’d been a very tough nut to crack.  </p>
<p>“Sy, before we go in, a word,” Kel suddenly spoke, making Naz’s heart leap into her throat. Had he heard what Sy had just whispered as he’d walked past her? Did he know? She didn’t know why she was so worried; it wasn’t like what they were doing was forbidden. They just knew it’d likely be frowned upon a little, the two of them striking up a relationship during an operation as crucial as they were assigned to.</p>
<p>“I want you to handle this round. I’ll come in too, in order to oversee, but I think you have a measure now over the techniques you’ve witnessed Liz and I use to extort the information, not that the son of a bitch in that room is giving very much away, but you get my drift. I think you’ll find you have an aptitude for it. I’ve got Watkin in there already guarding him, so go on.” Sy nodded, Kel patting him on the back before gesturing to the room.  </p>
<p>“So, how did you find it, leading a round of interrogative questioning on your own?” Naz asked him many hours later, while they lay in his bed.  </p>
<p>“I wasn’t exactly on my own there, darlin’. Kel interjected frequently,” he replied, more matter of fact than humble.  </p>
<p>“Yes, but you lead it,” she replied, sitting up to finger comb her tangled hair, Sy stroking her thigh.</p>
<p>“True, I guess. As for how I found it, I enjoyed it, I guess. It made a change to work from another angle, see what I could use verbally to make him respond, read his little tells to know if his answers were all bullshit or not. Most of them were, but I bet you likely knew that already. I’m baffled as to why he asked me to do it in the first place, though,” he told her, Naz pulling a curious face.</p>
<p>“Really? You don’t see his end game?” she asked, watching him shake his head. “I probably shouldn’t be revealing this, but you’re my boyfriend so I know you’re capable of using discretion and not telling anybody you heard this from me. He’s head hunting you. Liz is coming up to retirement and he’s on the lookout for a new right hand. You fit the profile of the kind of person he wants working with him,” she explained, Sy raising his eyebrows considerably.  </p>
<p>“You’re bullshitting me,” he stated, a little disbelieving.  </p>
<p>“No, it’s true! All the time you guys were in touch before you met up, I heard him talking very complimentarily about you to Tom White, said he wanted to see how you’d shape up since you fitted the bill in so many other respects. You’re a college graduate with extensive experience serving in the military. You’re perfect,” she shared, moving to sit astride him.  </p>
<p>“Kel doesn’t have the power to hire or fire, though,” he said dismissively, convinced Naz might’ve gotten the wrong end of the stick somehow. It wasn’t because of any lack of self-worth or similar, it just seemed so alien to him even though it was a natural progression for some men such as himself to take when moving up the career ladder.  </p>
<p>“No, but he can put in his recommendations though. He packs a considerable amount of clout within the organisation. He likes you and he wants you for the job, should leaving the army be something you’d ever decide on.”  </p>
<p>Leaving the army. Those three words suddenly made him feel quite cold, to walk away from the life he’d had and thrived in for the last fifteen years. He couldn’t deny though, having the CIA interested in him was absolutely huge. “You look like you don’t quite know how to feel about what I just revealed. I’m sorry, perhaps I should have waited for Kel to approach you.” Naz then added, leaning down to kiss his chest.  </p>
<p>“No, don’t be sorry. I’m just surprised, is all. Hey, don’t look forlorn, come here.” Pulling her down to his level, he stroked her silky hair and kissed her. One thing he noticed about Naz was she was quite sensitive where others were concerned, even the thought that she might negatively affect someone’s mood was upsetting for her.  </p>
<p>“I love you,” she told him, stroking his neck affectionately.</p>
<p>“You fucking better after freaking me out like that.” He couldn’t help but joke in his usual stone-faced way, watching her poke her bottom lip out before she began to laugh when he did. He was glad she was getting used to his humour, he could be very dry and oftentimes, people didn’t immediately see the joke.</p>
<p>There was a lot of sudden change in his life, in a situation when he’d least expected either occurrence to crop up. The one that proved to be the easiest to deal with for him was his love for Naz, though. Anything related to the CIA could wait until he was approached, or even if he was, to be realistic. If there was one thing Sy was, it was a staunch realist.  </p>
<p>It was this realism that truly was in stark contrast to his recent actions, falling in love with a woman he’d only been involved with for three weeks, knowing for just two months. He sometimes did feel conflicted by it too, wondering how he could truly love her as much as he did.  </p>
<p>As clichéd as it was though, all he had to do was look at her and any doubts in his mind faded to nothing, simply ceasing to be. He knew the real deal when he felt it. He also knew when to switch his mind off to any other thought that the most pressing one in the moment he happened to be experiencing.  </p>
<p>In that moment, it was the fact his girlfriend had just begun kissing her way down his chest while grasping his cock. Yes, this was definitely where all of his thoughts and focus shifted to.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="post-content">
  <p>“That’s fucking amazing, every damn time you do that,” Sy exclaimed, halfway between a chuckle and a moan as he watched Naz deep throat his cock, her lips tightening around the base and pulsing a few times before dragging back up, continuing the gentle pulsing motion along his shaft. It was an action that drew out the deepest of moans.</p>
  <p>“I’m surprised I can open my mouth so wide, since you’re pretty chunky down here.” She replied, licking her lip before circling the tip of his hardness with her tongue, flickering it back and forth quickly as he seeped pre-cum she happily lapped up.</p>
  <p>She definitely felt full whenever she had him within her, be it her mouth or her cunt. Long, hard and thick, the giver of mind-blowing orgasms and what she craved to be split around if she ever stopped for a few moments during her day to remember how good he felt inside of her.</p>
  <p>Continuing pleasing him with her mouth, coaxing faint groans from him as he watched her quicken, she stopped to run her tongue up the centre of his body while her hand pumped his shaft, wanting to continue but also, unable to bear the sexual thirst for him a second longer.</p>
  <p>Moving astride him once more, she sank down on his length, her mouth dropping open and a soft, breathy exclamation pouring out, Sy’s hands bracketing her hips as she began to manoeuvre up and down on him.</p>
  <p>He was entranced by the sight of her tight, hot cunt glossing his cock, pulling her down to his level and tightening his arms around her as they kissed, moaning into her mouth as she rocked she rocked against him fervently, consumed by heady desire.</p>
  <p>They panted against one another’s mouths, Naz moving her lips to his neck as she slid her hands down his chest, deliberately making her slick inner muscles contract around him, driving him crazy with lust. It spurred on exactly what she wanted, though, for him to pick her up and carry her to the chest of drawers, sitting her atop it and ramming himself into her cunt hard.</p>
  <p>“Oh, fuck yes. That’s what I want, my big man to fuck me hard and fast, so hard that I’ll still be able to feel you there tomorrow.” She purred in his ear, Sy withdrawing to thrust all the way back into her again, the pace speedy and wild in an instant.</p>
  <p>When the drawers began to clatter too much from the frantic pace, he moved her off them and instead, wrapped and arm around her waist, squeezing onto her as she tightened her legs around him and began to bounce up and down on his cock. His strength amazed her, how he carried her like that with just one arm as if she weighed nothing, his free hand meeting her ass to begin spanking her hard.</p>
  <p>“Mmmm, you dirty man,” she groaned, tipping her head back, feeling his teeth nip her throat.</p>
  <p>“You fucking love it,” he growled, kissing his way back up to her mouth again as his hand spanked her so hard, her eyes watered.</p>
  <p>“Harder,” she instructed, biting the side of his neck and squeaking when his hand ricocheted off her stinging cheek.</p>
  <p>“Yeah, my cock isn’t the only thing you’ll still be able to feel tomorrow. I’ma fuck and spank you so damn hard, you won’t be able to sit down.” He growled, spanking her again and again. They were getting very good at keeping quiet, but at that moment both were so aggressively aroused, they wanted nothing more than to verbalise themselves with a little more exclamation.</p>
  <p>This was no truer than the moment Naz felt her back hit the wall, Sy’s hands moving to hold her legs open wide, fucking her like a jackhammer, so fast she couldn’t help it. She screamed, and lord, did she scream loudly.</p>
  <p>“Naz, you alright in there?” she heard after a furious knock on her door, one of Sy’s crew who was sleeping next door with another five guys shouting.</p>
  <p>“Fine, Shane. Just a scorpion!” she called back.</p>
  <p>“You want me to come get him out for you?” he then called.</p>
  <p>“No, I’m good. I’ve got him right where I want him,” she then shouted, stifling a moan since Sy had only slowed his pace within her and not actually stopped.</p>
  <p>“Alright. Night, night!” With that, he began to pound into her once again, Naz grinning at him.</p>
  <p>“Scorpion is my new pet name for you now, habibi.” She told him, habibi meaning ‘my love’ in Arabic. He liked that she often called him by terms of endearment in her native language, but being referred to as scorpion made him shake with silent laugher as he continued to fuck her, loving her humour.</p>
  <p>“Well, I do have one hell of a sting.” He quipped, raising his eyebrows suggestively. They managed to finish their epically hot sex session with the quietness needed to keep their relationship as secret as it remained, but as Sy found out in the early hours of the following morning, one person had cottoned on to their furtive romance.</p>
  <p>“So come on, bro. How long with you and Naz, then?” Calvin asked as he and Sy walked the perimeter of the compound while doing a security check. “And don’t you goddamn dare try and throw me off with your bullshit either. I know!”</p>
  <p>“How?” Sy questioned, raising his eyebrows.</p>
  <p>“Saw you going into her room a few nights ago after guard duty at like, 2am. Don’t worry, nobody else saw you, it was just me about to turn the corner. So why y’all being sneaky about it?” he asked, Sy looking out over the horizon, the heat excruciating.</p>
  <p>“Ain’t no one else’s business but ours, also because I think Kel and Liz might have something to say about it and I don’t want Naz copping an earful, even though technically it isn’t forbidden for us to date. As for how long, about a month now.” He confided, his friend raising his eyebrows.</p>
  <p>“Oh, so you’re dating her and not just hittin’ it?” he began.” Ow, fuck, man! What was that for?” he then shouted when Sy thumped him hard in the arm.</p>
  <p>“Talking about my woman like that, is why you got a dead arm! Sombitch,” he muttered, Calvin laughing eventually.</p>
  <p>“Hey, sorry, man. I didn’t know! Okay, no more referring to Miss Naz as an it you might hit,” he laughed, Sy eventually cracking with a snort of laughter, putting his arm around Calvin.</p>
  <p>“I’m sorry, dude. I didn’t mean to hit you quite that hard,” he apologised.</p>
  <p>“You damn better be! Goddamn abusive bastard,” he continued to playfully chide, Sy laughing even more at his show of acting jokingly aghast. “So how the fuck does that work, then, dating when you can’t go on any actual dates?”</p>
  <p>“It works just fine, thanks.” He received a side eye for that, again Calvin managing to rouse laughter from him. “It means we spend a lot of time talking, so I probably know her better than most people would know the person they’re dating after only knowing them for three months.”</p>
  <p>“Hmm, well you seem happy, my man. After all that shit with Heather, you fucking deserve it. And if you’re getting some too then you a lucky ass motherfucker, scoring a hot girl while we all have to beat off under a blanket with only the memory of what pussy feels like.” Sy couldn’t help but guffaw laughing at that, shaking his head and holding a hand to his sore abs. The comedy of Calvin didn’t go well on top of five hundred sit ups.</p>
  <p>They were on their way back around to the front entrance when Private Gus Whalley came running towards them, looking flustered.</p>
  <p>“Sir, we have a location on a large group of al Shadid’s foot soldiers. One of our drones touring over the Eastern mountain range was just shot down,” he addressed Sy with. This was the news he’d been waiting for.</p>
  <p>“How far from our present location, Whalley?” he asked, he and Calvin moving at a run to re-enter the compound.</p>
  <p>“Ten miles south-east. We suspect they’ve been moving back over from Hamah after gathering more numbers,” he spoke as they ran through the courtyard and arrived in the control room.</p>
  <p>“They’re aiming to hit the compound,” Sy began, while Gus showed him the last images the drone had captured prior to its demise.</p>
  <p>“Airstrike?” Calvin suggested, Sy thoughtful for a few moments.</p>
  <p>“No, we’ll just be blowing rock to kingdom come, it’s pointless. They’re on the move, which means we’re heading them off at the pass. Load up, I want twenty-five with me, my remaining eighteen behind guarding the compound. Let’s move, people!”</p>
  <p>The thought of him going out there and risking his life against a group of unhinged terrorists was the first taste Naz had of the reality of being in a relationship with a soldier, a sense of dread beginning to fill her. She reasoned with herself that this was who he was and what he did, though.</p>
  <p>Her confidence in his abilities didn’t quite spread to her face, however, Sy discreetly jerking his head in the direction of the doorway, indicating she should follow him in a few seconds.</p>
  <p>“Hey, I do this all the damn time, baby. It’ll be fine, don’t worry. I wish I could stay around a little longer to reassure you, but I don’t have the luxury of time on my side. I love you.” He told her, Naz nodding and telling him she loved him too. They shared a quick, fleeting kiss before he was gone, off to get kited out and leave in a convoy that wouldn’t return until just after 9pm.</p>
  <p>It was just as she was trying to cut through the games room, equipped with a pool table among other items, on her way to get to the kitchen that she was stopped by Shane and Gus.</p>
  <p>“Sorry, Naz, you can’t cut through. Go the long way round, Luke is in there pulling a bullet out of Sy.”</p>
  <p>No other words could have made her blood run colder than those at that moment, and what was worse? She couldn’t even react to them like any other girlfriend would, because she was the only person who knew that it was her boyfriend in there who’d been shot.</p>
</div><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, is anyone else out there enjoying this other than the lovely and very diligent kmhappybunny240? It would truly make my day to hear from you if you are. We authors ask for so little in return, it takes less time to leave a comment than it does read an entire chapter, after all :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as there was no one around to witness it, Naz succumbed to the emotional distress crashing against her insides like an out of control car. Taking big, panicked breaths as she speedily headed to her room, her eyes were too full of tears for a second to focus as she rounded a corner and hit a moving object. Luckily, it was Calvin whom she’d walked straight into.</p>
<p>“Oh, sorry, Naz. Hey, you alright? Ahh, fuck man. You got told about Sy,” he began, resting his hands on her shoulders. “You want a big hug? It’s alright, I know about you two. He didn’t tell me either, I guessed. I’ve known him too long; I always know with him.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she squeaked, before breaking down completely. Immediately, Calvin put his arms around her.</p>
<p>“He’s alright, don’t panic. He took a bullet to the thigh and a second grazed his shoulder. The guy who did it is dead, Sy might have been hit but that didn’t stop him from blowing about fifteen holes into the motherfucker. We brought nine survivors who surrendered back with us, the rest are vulture food. Hey, come on, it’s okay!” he told her, Naz continuing to sob against his chest.</p>
<p>“C-can I g-go see h-him?” she stammered, trying to compose herself.</p>
<p>“I’ll go and see what I can do while you calm down a little, okay?” she nodded, Calvin smiling as he squeezed her arm, leaving her to continue to her room and empty the contents of her flask straight down her throat as soon as she arrived, the arak soothing her a little as she began to calm down.</p>
<p>Thank goodness it wasn’t serious, or fatal, even. She thanked the stars for the fact that her boyfriend had come back alive, albeit likely in pain at that moment. Calvin came up after another ten minutes, advising that Luke was just stitching him up and they could go down in twenty.</p>
<p>He remained with Naz, talking to her so she didn’t slide back into freaking out, which had been at Sy’s request since he knew she would likely be going crazy. Calvin was such a nice guy; he’d have stayed with her anyway.</p>
<p>“So, what’s a nice, smart, pretty girl like you doing with a cantankerous, ass head of a grizzly bear like my boy down there, huh?” Calvin asked, gesturing to her refilled flask. “Oh, sweet baby Jesus on a skateboard! What the hell is that?” he then exclaimed after taking a swig, looking like he’d just eaten bees.</p>
<p>“He’s not that cantankerous when he’s with me, nor an ass head. I do see the grizzly bear likeness though. Big, hairy and sometimes angry,” she replied, making him laugh. “As for that, it’s arak. A Syrian drink I bought while I was up in Damascus.”</p>
<p>“You should have damn well left it in Damascus too, that shit is funky!” he shouted, Naz laughing.</p>
<p>“Sy likes it,” she commented, Calvin snorting.</p>
<p>“He would. He eats like a pregnant woman. I mean it, it’s true! Ask him about eating Nutella and grilled cheese sandwiches. He’s nasty,” he informed her, Naz mildly horrified.</p>
<p>“Nutella and cheese? Oh, that’s disgusting. What else?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Pickles dipped in grape Goobers. No, seriously,” he began, laughing when she retched. “Also, bacon pieces on ice cream. I don’t even mean the little dried bacon bits you get to put on salads and whatnot, I mean actual pieces of crispy fried bacon,” he told her, shuddering at the thought.</p>
<p>“I can’t be mad at that, you know. That sounds amazing, especially if you add maple syrup, and then put it on top of pancakes. Yeah, he’s a genius,” she replied, making a mental note to try it when she was at home.</p>
<p>“Freaks, the pair of you. Fucking made for each other!” Calvin joked, making her laugh. He kept her calm and her mind occupied right up until he took her downstairs again, Naz walking into the game room and finding Sy lying on the table. That was the moment a gigantic sob welled in her throat.</p>
<p>She held it in though, hovering at the door. Sy turned to her, smiling and seeing she was holding in a huge wave of emotion, wanting to run to him but unsure how to proceed since Luke was still there.</p>
<p>“It’s alright, baby. Luke knows, I had to tell him so he’d let you in here,” he told her, Naz immediately bursting into tears. Seeing him there, hooked up to an IV fluid bag, his thigh bandaged and a dressing on his arm, although he otherwise looked fine, it was a little too much for her.</p>
<p>“Habibi!” she exclaimed, running to him and holding his face in his hands, kissing his forehead over and over.</p>
<p>“Oh, come on. I’m fine, stop with the tears,” he told her, grasping her hands and kissing her cheek a few times.</p>
<p>“I know, but asking me to stop crying is perhaps a little bit too much of an ask right now. You know how emotional I can be,” she reminded him, Sy nodding and stroking her cheek.</p>
<p>“I’ll leave you to it and come back in a half hour so we can stretcher you upstairs. Naz, if it helps it was a clean shot that lodged in his muscle, not deeply either so it was an easy remove and an expected heal time of about three weeks, just as long as he keeps it clean. He isn’t great with taking orders from us though, but I bet he’d do as he’s told if it came from you,” Luke replied, making her smile and nod.</p>
<p>“I have my ways of persuasion,” she replied, drying her eyes and winking at Sy.</p>
<p>“You sure do,” he told her after Luke left, Calvin drawing up a seat as he sat up a little, wincing slightly. “Oh wow, my painkillers just kicked in. Woah, they’re strong.”</p>
<p>“Naz, what you’re about to experience is extremely whacked out Sy. Ultram messes him up and my lord, it’s funny.” She looked at him curiously before turning back to look at Sy, his eyes already a little glazed. It took a few further minutes, but she saw it, the painkillers taking hold of his faculties as he looked around the room in a dazed manner, his pupils dilating.</p>
<p>“Hi baby!” he exclaimed loudly upon focusing on her, before looking at Calvin. “You owe me thirty bucks!”</p>
<p>“From when?” he asked, not able to recall the debt.</p>
<p>“Six flags,” he began, looking back at Naz. “Hi baby! When did you get here?”</p>
<p>“That was in 2001!” Calvin exclaimed, Naz snorting with laughter.</p>
<p>“I’ve been here for five minutes, honey,” she told him, stroking his beard and fighting him off as he tried to put his hands up her top.</p>
<p>“He owes me money! He’s a douche. Let me play with your boobs,” he shouted, frowning when she grabbed his wrists and pulled them back out, trying to keep him calm. “No! Don’t fight it!”</p>
<p>At this point, Naz was in hysterics, grabbing his hands and forcing them down, leaning in close to him. “Stop it, behave yourself.” She told him, leaning down and kissing his cheek right at the precise moment Kel walked in. Sy was too out of it to care, but for her, her heart felt like it had been catapulted into her throat.</p>
<p>“Sy, how are you doing?” he asked, clearing his throat awkwardly.</p>
<p>“Calvin owes me money. I like your shoes,” he replied, reaching for Naz again after she’d let go of his hands, looking at the floor nervously.</p>
<p>“He’s pretty out of it on pain meds,” Calvin spoke, hoping Sy wouldn’t begin wrestling with Naz’s clothes again since he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to realise it wasn’t the time, place or correct company to be doing that in.</p>
<p>“I see that. Well, just as long as he’s alright,” Kel replied, laughing a little amusedly. “Naz, can I speak with you?” Nodding, she followed him out, Calvin wincing a little as she walked past him, Sy only becoming aware of the gravity of the situation after she’d left, trying to get up and go after her.</p>
<p>“No, sit your ass back down!” he ordered his friend, pushing him back down onto the table while Sy huffed and then seemingly forgot all about it.</p>
<p>“What time is Mister Rogers on?” Yes, he was definitely out of it. Meanwhile, on the other side of the door.</p>
<p>“So, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that you and Sy are involved, huh?” Kel asked, Naz nodding.</p>
<p>“Yes, Kel. We are,” she replied, really hoping her boss wasn’t about to take issue with this. Technically he couldn’t, there was no law prohibiting their relationship, after all. He could voice disapproval, though.</p>
<p>“Now, I can’t tell you what you do in your private life, I likely wouldn’t even if I had that authority, but hear this. You two, it doesn’t ever, ever get in the way of the job. Do you understand? You keep it behind closed doors and remain professional, am I clear?”</p>
<p>She could have defended herself by stating that his request for how they conducted themselves was exactly what she’d been adhering to, but instead, she chose to be obedient. She could tell he didn’t like the idea purely in case it compromised the task at hand.</p>
<p>“Absolutely clear.” He nodded, smiling thinly and walking away, leaving Naz to let out the breath she’d been holding, feeling a sense of relief. Now Kel knew it took the pressure off, it didn’t matter so much maybe if people found out, although she preferred that no one else did.</p>
<p>What she had with Sy, she liked just being between them. It was no one else’s business, after all. She took a few moments to reflect, still feeling a little uncomfortable that her boss knew but also knowing that it was better he did now.</p>
<p>The most important occurrence of this day though was that fact that she still had a boyfriend at all, secret or not, he’d returned to her. This was of course what she was most relieved about.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Going back in into the room, Naz managed to take her mind off her boss’s words by finding further entertainment courtesy of Sy’s chemically altered mental state, she and Calvin laughing hard at his observations.  </p>
<p>“I think we should go to Cancun. Let’s go to Cancun and buy a small car.”</p>
<p>“Is there a bee? I can hear bees, man. What the fuck?”</p>
<p>“I’m not doing my assignment; I can hand it in late. Someone, fetch me another beer.”</p>
<p>“Is Indiana Jones on the TV tonight?”  </p>
<p>“Since when did you have your nose pierced?”</p>
<p>“I don’t have a nose piercing, habibi. It’s a little flat mole, see?” Naz told him after his last whacked out observance, Sy raising his eyebrows.</p>
<p>“Oh okay. I’ma name it Hector!” More laughter followed. She stayed for a short time longer before heading upstairs to take a shower, joining him in his room after he’d been carried up.  </p>
<p>“Are you a little more coherent yet?” she asked, lying down next to him.  </p>
<p>“Can you get me a burger if I give you the money? Burger King, please. I don’t like anything else though. Maybe Wendy’s.” That would be a no, then. Especially since she knew he hated all fast food other than KFC.  </p>
<p>“Sy, we’re in Syria, out in the middle of the desert,” she told him, stroking his head.  </p>
<p>“Oh yeah. Actually, I’m not hungry. Just cold, but why am I cold if we’re in Syria?” he asked her, trying to scratch his head and poking himself in the eye, snorting with laughter as Naz reached over and gave his scalp a good scratch with her nails.  </p>
<p>“Because you’re only in your boxers and the temperature has dropped. Here, hold on.” Pulling the covers out from under his legs, she then covered them both, Sy pulling her close to lie against his chest.</p>
<p>“Naz?” He then spoke after a few silent minutes.  </p>
<p>“Yes, habibi?” she replied, looking up at him.  </p>
<p>“I’m really glad I’m not dead, because I plan on spending many more years with you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone else. I have to take you to Vermont, too. I remember you said you always wanted to go there, so one day we shall,” he then told her affectionately, turning and kissing her head. She lay there and basked in his affection, all fluttery at being told something so lovely, until…</p>
<p>“That plant in the corner is threatening me. Sombitch. I’ll fucking fight you, goddamn smug fern.” He muttered some more, Naz shaking with laughter as she watched him blink heavily a few times and then fall asleep, gladly closing her eyes to join him after she’d finished giggling.  </p>
<p>Her sleep was disturbed after a few hours though, being awoken by something very hard protruding into her lower back, Sy’s hands stroking her tits as he kissed her neck. He was still a little out of it, but not so much that he didn’t know exactly what he was doing right in that moment.  </p>
<p>“Only you,” she began, reaching for her water and taking a few sips. “Only you could get shot seven hours ago and now be waking me up with a gargantuan erection.”  </p>
<p>“Are you complaining?” he asked, his hand sliding down her body.  </p>
<p>“Absolutely not.” With that she turned, kissing him deeply as he pulled her leg up over his hip, his hand moving straight between her legs, no gladder she slept nude than he was in that moment.  </p>
<p>He shifted closer to her, grumbling when his thigh throbbed but absolutely unwilling to stop, his fingers becoming soaked in her beautiful, thick wetness, hot and syrupy, so soft and sumptuous against his hand.  </p>
<p>She panted against his neck, nibbling the column of his throat, marvelling at his prowess. He’d been shot by an insurgent and was still partially addled by painkillers; it took a whole lot to dissuade James Syverson from what he set his mind to, Naz realised.</p>
<p>The pad of his fingertips rubbing her clit from side to side had her mewling softly into their kisses, kisses that were just like him, strong, unyielding and hot. His tongue swirled with hers, biting her lower lip as her hand grasped his erection, grumbling with lust as she began to work the rock-hard phallus with keen strokes.</p>
<p>He was imposing against her hand, so hard and perhaps a little intimidating, such a huge wad of steely cock, Naz letting go momentarily to rub her hand across her slit, wetting her palm with her slick before returning it to him.  </p>
<p>She swallowed back the hungry groan that echoed from his throat, his fingers invading her cunt while his mouth sought out every spot upon her neck that made her shudder from touch. Swirling them around, he massaged her plush wetness thoroughly, loving how she felt.  </p>
<p>She panted into their kisses as he began fucking her, adding a third finger as he felt her opening for him, his desire mounting rapidly.  </p>
<p>“Get on me, beautiful. I need to fuck.” She moved in an instant, Sy turning onto his back as she viewed him, working out the positioning logistics with taking his wound into consideration. Turning her back to him, she climbed astride his body, squatting over his hips and taking him in her hand, Sy holding her waist as she slid down onto his hardness.  </p>
<p>She felt his cock bob aggressively inside her as she stalled, taking a moment to savour the thick fullness of him splitting her wide, bracing her hands against his broad chest as she began to lever herself up and down.  </p>
<p>He kept hold of her waist, only able to move beneath her a small amount since his thigh had begun to burn, not wanting to risk popping his stitches and freaking Naz out when his bandage dressing would inevitably turn bright red. Besides, she was doing a good enough job of setting the pace by herself.  </p>
<p>Her pussy glazed every inch of his erection in her dew, hard and slippery as she flexed around him, softly gasping at him completely filling her, his length dragging her walls, making her glimmer.  </p>
<p>“My god, you feel incredible.” She purred, the sound of their flesh smacking together filling the air as she tried to keep her moans to a quiet minimum. With every sexual encounter she experienced with the man beneath her, though, she realised it became more difficult. She could barely wait for a time to come where relative silence wouldn’t be mandatory.</p>
<p>He felt heavy within her, the head of his cock jutting up against her cervix, an action that wasn’t altogether unwelcome although she knew it would leave her sore. She loved to feel him as deeply as she could within her.  </p>
<p>Changing the angle by moving her hips to the right slightly, she bypassed this, just feeling him deeply instead, sparks crackling, her release gathering momentum. Hearing his quiet, yet gruff grunts spurred her on, balancing with one hand as she used her other to rub at her clit in frenzy, breathless and consumed, her release washing through her so staggeringly she would have toppled, had Sy not been grasping her waist.  </p>
<p>“Let me…catch…my breath and I’ll…I’ll get you there too,” she panted, spinning around to face him.  </p>
<p>“That might take a while, my little turtle dove. I’m on opioids, remember? Unfortunately, they block the fun nerve endings from feeling much too,” he lamented, bouncing her around playfully on his still rigid cock.</p>
<p>“Then I’m about to get one hell of a workout.” It took just under an hour, but she got him there eventually, shaking, pouring with sweat and her legs absolutely numb, but ensuring he fell asleep in a cloud of orgasmic haze, far from pain, happy and drowsy while she felt the same…and like she’d been sandblasted between her legs.  </p>
<p>“It was a worthy trade, to make you and your sting happy, my sexy scorpion.” She murmured, kissing his cheek before resting her head down and joining him in sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Awaking early the following morning, Naz was baffled for a few seconds to reach over into an empty space, before she turned to see Sy shuffling back from the door.</p><p>“Should you be trying to move around unassisted?” she asked as he eased himself back down.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. Well, it hurts a bit but as long as I move slowly so I don’t bust my stitches open, I’ll be alright” he told her, reaching for her hand and kissing it. “I’m coming to bother you today, by the way. When you’re doing your text translations. You read; I’ll type. We’ll get it done quicker that way. I want to feel like I’m of some use since I’m out of commission for a short time.”</p><p>“You should be resting. I know you think you’re invincible, but your body went through trauma, you lost blood. You need to sit still for once, as unnatural as that is for a man of your calibre,” she told him, reaching to stroke his chest as she turned onto her side.</p><p>“I appreciate the concern, baby, but I’ll get pissed off stuck up here. I’ll rest, occupy a couch or something, but I’m coming downstairs.” She knew he wouldn’t relent so agreed, helping him dress before going to get herself ready, Calvin assisting with him getting down the stairs as he was way too heavy for Naz to attempt such.</p><p>They ate breakfast in the control room before beginning their work, Sy propped up on the couch while Naz pushed the armchair close by so she didn’t have to raise her voice too high to relay the contents of the book to him.</p><p>Luke came by at midday to change his dressing, pleased with how the wound looked after cleaning it and offering him more pain relief.</p><p>“No, I’ll pass. I get too jazzed out so I’ll just deal with it so I can be some use to these guys,” he told him, Luke nodding before he left to return to guard duty.</p><p>“Oh, I should probably ask, do you remember anything from last night?” she asked, Sy looking thoughtful for a few moments before shaking his head. Getting out of the armchair, Naz then crouched by the side of the couch so they could converse via typed word on the laptop privately.</p><p>
  <em>Kel knows, he walked in and saw me kissing you when you were still on the pool table.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh, alright. Was he mad?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He didn’t seem too happy, took me outside and basically said that it wasn’t his place to interfere but that I shouldn’t let it get in the way of my job.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Like you’d do that anyway! Does he fucking know you at all?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Don’t be angry, honey. He’s just cautious because of the delicacy of this whole operation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m not, I just don’t like the idea of someone so committed to her work being doubted, even for a second. You and I, we’re none of this damn business either.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Well, in the spirit of the former…</em>
</p><p>Naz moved back to her seat, picking up the book while Sy deleted their conversation and prepared to type once more. She was glad that she was left in the control room for the second day running, getting to plough on with the translations and be sitting right next to her love. It felt good to make progress, and just after 6pm that night, she hit the mother load where information was concerned.</p><p>“Oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh!” she suddenly started exclaiming, bouncing in her chair. “I’ve got something huge here! The bombings in Boston, Sydney, New York, London, Liverpool, Paris, Bruges, Berlin and Naples, he’s written down the details and plans! I know he already confessed to the ones in London and Paris, but this gets him on the rest too. We’ve got him!” she exclaimed, Tariq flying out of his chair to read the book for himself before hugging her, shouting joyously in Arabic as the control room erupted.</p><p>Finally, they had conclusive proof of the bombings they’d been grilling him over. It was a major win for them, irrefutable evidence against him in his eventual war crimes trial. They didn’t need a confession from him as they had all the evidence they needed right there in his handwriting.</p><p>However, that didn’t mean they could just pack up and go home. There were plenty of other misdeeds they needed to get to the bottom of, meaning they were still out there by the summer, bringing their total time at the compound to eight months at that point.</p><p>“Good morning, my little turtle dove. You fell asleep down here, again.” These were the first words Naz heard early one morning, lifting her head with a piece of paper stuck to her face as she grumbled and removed it, rubbing her eyes before focusing on Sy, who’d brought her some tea. The control room was empty, save her, the other guys not arriving until much later now since there was no longer twenty four hour drone surveillance being monitored.</p><p>In her effort to make Kel see that she wasn’t going to let her relationship get in the way of her work, she’d been throwing herself into it for the last five months, the notebooks long translated and now, close to completing the arduous task of transcribing all of the interview tapes into Arabic to hand over to the Syrian government. Having the room to herself or just her, Farooq and Tariq was very welcome.</p><p>“Morning, my handsome,” she cooed, looking around quickly before kissing him. Just as they wished, there were still only three people who knew about their relationship; Calvin, Luke and Kel. She still played it very cautiously, though. People had a habit of suddenly popping up.</p><p>Neither of them had wanted it to be public knowledge, mainly because Sy knew his guys well, and while they were like his brothers, he didn’t want Naz to be on the receiving end of their brand of banter either. It would have pissed him off too, to hear them talk about his beloved in the way they spoke about other women sometimes.</p><p>“Happy five months, by the way,” he then told her, nuzzling her cheek and kissing it a few times before he moved to sit at the other end of the couch.</p><p>“Oh my gosh, yes! It’s the 20<sup>th</sup> already, wow. I can’t believe we’re only here for another week and then…back to life as normal, when I’ll hardly see you at all, depending on what you decide,” she replied, poking out her bottom lip.</p><p>“Well, that remains to be seen, doesn’t it? You’ll have me for three months regardless, though, at the end of all this.” Just as Naz had confided in him back when they’d first got together, Kel was very interested in having Sy join his team, putting in his recommendation with the CIA and sending his file across to them.</p><p>They’d liked what they’d seen, so much so that they were very happy to give him first refusal on the offer to join as Paramilitary Operations Officer, with a period of six months training before he’d be deployed to wherever he was needed along with Kel and, as a big, big bonus, likely Naz too since she worked directly within Kel’s team.</p><p>Liz didn’t retire for a further four months, the CIA giving a grace period of half that time to decide before they would officially open the position up to others. It was a huge decision to make for Sy, realising his life would change so drastically. It was a little scary, he had to concede, since the army had been all he’d ever really knew, spending most of his life serving overseas as he had for the past fifteen years.</p><p>Although the way he felt about Naz did bias his decision slightly in the fact it swung him in the direction of a life in Virginia, he still couldn’t commit one hundred percent to the idea, although he was of course one hundred percent committed to her.</p><p>This was evidenced clearly in that come the week after, as soon as he’d assisted in delivering the prisoners to the authorities, he’d fly out to Turkey to meet Naz there, so she could introduce him to her family. It was something he was really looking forward to, meeting the people he’d heard so much about.</p><p>She had three week’s leave she was owed, so was taking them before her return to work in the US so she could spend some time with her family and Sy too, just be a normal couple out in the open. It was something she was very much looking forward to.</p><p>“Well, this is it for five days then. Hey, come on, my precious little honey. Don’t you look all sad, now. It’ll fly by,” Sy told Naz on the day of her departure, after she’d finished packing her bags, about to leave with Kel and Liz. They were heading back to Damascus for a day, after which she’d then fly to Turkey to visit her family.</p><p>“I know, I know. I’ll just miss waking up next to you, is all.” They shared their final kisses goodbye in her room before she left the compound via helicopter, Sy sighing as he watched it fly away, actually feeling a little sadder than he’d expected to.</p><p>Their time apart passed in a blur and before he knew it, he was walking towards Naz at just gone 6pm through Ankara airport, hugging her tightly, but fleetingly. Even in the quite cosmopolitan capital city, Naz had previously mentioned that overly affectionate gestures were sometimes frowned upon, so they kept it brief for that moment.</p><p>“I can’t wait to get to the hotel, fucking stupid layover. At least it meant I could pick up some clean clothes, though,” he replied, gesturing to the blue jeans and grey t shirt he was wearing with a very dusty pair of sneakers he’d had with him in Syria. His flight hadn’t been direct, stopping in Armenia where he eventually changed to a connecting flight before landing in Turkey.</p><p>“I have a surprise there. We don’t have a hotel, I rented an Airbnb for three days, so we’ll have an apartment all to ourselves. No modest behaviour, no hiding, no quietness and plenty of beer. How much do you love me?” she told him as he picked up his pack off the luggage conveyor and swung it over his shoulder.</p><p>“Just you wait until we get back there. Then I’ll show you how much I love you.” Naz knew from his tone he was likely to show her very efficiently and many, many times before the sun came up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Can you wait for two minutes while I go and take a shower?” Sy asked Naz after they’d walked into the apartment, with her turning to jump up into his arms as soon as the door was closed.  </p><p>“Yes, I suppose that’d be alright. I can get naked so it means you have less to take off.” The way he raised a single eyebrow in a high arch had her giggling, kissing him before she unlocked her legs and landed back on the floor.  </p><p>“I approve. I’ll be back in a minute.” While he headed to the bathroom, she entered the bedroom, drawing the curtains and putting the small lamp on before stripping off and waiting for him. He joined her, all fresh and naked, after a couple of minutes, lying down and pulling her on top of him.  </p><p>“Finally, just me, you and a very big bed,” she purred, stroking his chest with her nails, bending to kiss him.</p><p>“And no need to be quiet, either,” he reminded her, his hands travelling down her back until he reached the back of her thighs, pulling her further up the bed. She got the gist of exactly where he wanted her, moving until she was astride his head. “Oh, so you didn’t just get a haircut on your head then, huh?” he asked, taking in her smoother appearance, just a landing strip remaining.  </p><p>“Nope, I got preened from head to toe. You need to kiss it better too because in eight months I’d forgotten how much getting waxed hurts.” She laughed, that laugh turning into a moan when she felt his tongue start to glide over her newly bare flesh.  </p><p>He was thoroughly explorative, Naz loving the sensations of his beard tickling her skin in a way she hadn’t felt before, the wet heat that caused her soft gasps pushing into her slit and tasting her thoroughly. His hands grasped her butt, massaging the peachy orbs in his big hands, his tongue seeking out her clit.  </p><p>He conjured illicit tingles as he circled it slowly, the burn of pleasure skittering through her as she braced one hand against the wall, her other trailing over his shortly shorn head as the ministrations of his tongue coaxed out a louder groan.  </p><p>“That’s it, baby. Moan for me.” He encouraged her, his voice gravelly with arousal. It was the most erotic thing to hear, her moans unmuted, her hips beginning to gently sway against his mouth.  </p><p>His tongue swept through her folds, collecting her dew, groaning at her delectable taste, the heat of her cunt on his tongue. Just pleasuring her with his mouth had him hard. She twisted above him as the long, flat, firm licks caught every last bit of her warm, slick pink, panting hard as her sweet moans filled the room.  </p><p>“Fuck, ahhhh, shit, you’re too good!” she cursed, almost growling with pleasure, her body surrendered to him completely as her abdomen rippled with little quakes. The heat built as he quickened his tongue, pressing firmly, her clit hard and wet against his unyielding licks.  </p><p>Her pleasure crested exponentially, Naz rocking out the waves of her orgasm against his tongue as she cried out, panting and clammy in the aftermath as she reached to stroke his face.  </p><p>“Nope, you’re not going anywhere yet,” he protested when she attempted to move.  </p><p>“Relax, my scorpion. I’m just turning around so I can play with your sting,” she purred, puckering her lips at him.  </p><p>“Well in that case, you back that sexy ass up here.” She turned neatly, squealing and laughing when he suddenly spanked her, Sy dragging her back and taking an entire mouthful of her dripping cunt, sucking at her as he felt his erection bathed in the warm wet of her mouth.  </p><p>She enveloped him totally, sucking gently, her moans vibrating his shaft, running her fingernails up his thick thighs, her middle finger gliding over the pink, slightly risen scar from the bullet he’d taken four months before. It seemed so long ago to her.  </p><p>His hands smoothed all over her beautiful, soft skin, spanking her again as he drilled his tongue into her pussy, circling it around before flickering it over her anus a few times. Her groan told her she liked it, so thus he continued.  </p><p>Rubbing her clit with his thumb at the same time, he sent her to pleasure heaven, her mouth working his cock faster, building him up steadily, the prickling heat beginning to pulse through him.</p><p>“Mmmmm, you’ve got such a pretty little asshole, baby.” He told her, spanking her again and biting down on her butt ravenously, Naz remarking to herself that it was the first time she’d been complimented over that particular part of her anatomy.  </p><p>His tongue continued to circle and push, making her moan helplessly as it pushed within, his thumb stronger at her clit, pressing, rubbing, driving her headlong into…</p><p>“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” she cried, her hand pumping his cock wildly while she further gasped and exclaimed at the force of her orgasm. She felt him moving out from under her, kneeling behind her to sink every last inch of himself into her heat, Naz gripping the covers as she clenched around his thick shaft.  </p><p>Her tightness drew curses from his mouth, Sy feeling himself grow rapidly excited, spanking her some more before reaching forward and grabbing a handful of her hair. When she went rigid and screamed though, the pitch was different and he remembered in an instant.  </p><p>“I’m sorry, baby I’m sorry. Did I scare you?” It might have happened months ago, but that sudden yank had made the moment al Shadid grabbed her in an attempt to strangle her come rushing back to her consciousness.  </p><p>“It’s okay, I’m alright,” she told him through quickened breaths, reminding herself that it was Sy, her Sy who had done it, the man who loved her, not the terrorist who’d frightened her. “I want you to do it again, also hold my throat too at some point, just so it’s you who’s the last man to do that to me and not him. By changing the context, it’ll help subdue the memory.”  </p><p>“Are you sure?” he asked.</p><p>“Yes. Do it.” His fingers burrowed into her mass of dark, silky tresses once more, fisting the roots and then pulling her head back at the same time as thrusting into her abruptly, Naz gasping at being filled with such sudden, solid intrusion.  </p><p>He kept the pace slow, but each thrust deep and delivered with a keenness that made her tingle, wanting, needing for him to move faster but being deprived of it, his hand continuing to pull her head back, coaxing wanton groans from her.</p><p>He began to move rapidly, chasing the tingles he could feel, waves of euphoria pulsing through him. He fucked her until she cried out almost hysterically, frantically slamming back against each forward motion of his hips, their combined effort culminating in a decadent finish.</p><p>Their incandescence glowed, glimmering and blinding as all which was frenzied began to slow, warm, dreamy waves ebbing steadily, Naz sitting up and resting back against his chest as she turned her head to kiss him. His cock twitched against the flutters of her cunt, his arms tightening around her before moving to lay on his side, pulling her back into his embrace.  </p><p>“I fucking love you so much,” he murmured, kissing the tip of her nose.  </p><p>“I missed hearing you say that, even if it only has been five days. I love you too,” she cooed, holding his face in her hands and kissing him. “And now, I have a whole evening planned for us, but you lie there and relax for a while and I’ll go and get things sorted out.”</p><p>He was just about to tell her he’d have liked to have laid there with her, but she was off and up, putting her underwear back on and grinning at him before leaving the bedroom. The first thing she wanted to do was make sure he had clean clothes, so dragged his pack down the hallway (falling on her butt once with how heavy it was) towards the laundry room.  </p><p>He had few civilian clothes, so she separated those and all his boxers and socks from his fatigues first, throwing them in and setting up the machine, the presence of Sy in the doorway making her jump.  </p><p>“Why are you doing my laundry?” he asked, puzzled at her keenness.</p><p>“You need clean clothes,” she shrugged. “I might as well get it out of the way.”</p><p>“But I don’t expect you to do chores for me, baby doll,” he replied, Naz shoving the rest of the clothes into the linen basket atop the washing machine.</p><p>“It’s no bother, though! Look, I’m done now. I just have to transfer them to the dryer in an hour. I’m all yours again, well, actually I nearly am. Let me go organise food!” she enthused, making him shake his head as he smiled at her. She was so excited that it was finally here, them getting the time to be just them. He thought it was adorable.  </p><p>“Naz, stand still for five minutes,” he told her upon entering the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her as she stood at the refrigerator, taking the beer she handed him and then attempting to move to the counter and grab her phone. She was impeded though, the 170lbs of man locked on around her made it impossible to move.  </p><p>“Must…reach…cell phone…must…order…food!” she tersely spoke comically, reaching for it as she struggled, her feet running on the spot as Sy opened his beer on the bottle opener on the front of the fridge and gladly drained it, helping himself to another too, all the while holding Naz easily in one arm.  </p><p>“You can order it in a minute, just chill out, baby. See, this is good, just me, you, beer, no hiding, no sand and no vacuum-packed food. If you stand still, you might enjoy it.” She stopped struggling in her quest to make everything perfect, turning in his arms and realising it already was. He was there. That was perfection in itself.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t move. Really, roll me out of here,” Sy exclaimed on his second night in Turkey, he and Naz having just eaten dinner and perhaps slightly overdoing it.</p>
<p>Their first night had consisted of her ordering in a KFC, watching films and drinking beer, so for the second, she took him to a restaurant she frequented often prior to her move to the USA. Well, she’d planned on being the one to take him out, but he’d flatly refused to let her pay.</p>
<p>“So that was your first proper, freshly cooked food in how long, four years, almost?” she asked, finishing the rest of her beer.</p>
<p>“Three years and ten months, yeah. Come on, let’s go walk it off instead of getting a cab.” They walked hand in hand through the streets back in the direction of the apartment, Sy taking in the surroundings while Naz thought to herself how lovely it was to be home, especially with him.</p>
<p>“So, let me get this straight. Turkish people are very affectionate with friends, but in relationships they’re reserved about showing affection in public?” he asked, noticing two friends embracing openly and kissing one another’s cheeks twice as they met for drinks.</p>
<p>“Yes, that’s basically it. I mean holding hands is fine, same if you wanted to kiss my cheek or head, but kissing on the lips of arms around each other is seen as sexual. I mean, it isn’t massively strict here, but I don’t like to ruffle feathers. If we were further east, however, I wouldn’t even hold your hand. It’s a lot stricter there,” she explained, Sy nodding.</p>
<p>“I’d probably have rocks thrown at me if I made it common knowledge where I’d like to kiss you later on,” he joked, not able to help himself.</p>
<p>“James!” she warned instantly.</p>
<p>“Ooooh, you called me by my first name. That’s scary, kinda sexy as well, but mostly damned scary!” he continued, making her laugh as she hugged his arm, kissing his shoulder.</p>
<p>“So, moving on,” she began, composing herself. “Are you looking forward to meeting my family tomorrow?”</p>
<p>They were heading there for the day before they flew back home on a late-night flight, partaking of the same ritual when they arrived as Sy wanted her to meet his parents and siblings too, before he’d head to Virginia with her for much of the remainder of his leave.</p>
<p>He had a meeting there at her work too, with the people from the CIA who might end up being his future bosses, Kel’s department heads wanting to meet with the man who’d been so highly recommended to them for the job they’d offered.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to lie, I feel a little intimidated by the idea, but otherwise yes. It’ll be great to meet them,” he replied, Naz frowning, puzzled by his statement.</p>
<p>“Why would a man like you be intimidated by anything?” she questioned, quite taken aback by this information.</p>
<p>“Because they’re very academic, as are you, and then there’s me. I’m the furthest thing from them. Am I really the kind of man they imagined you being with?” he asked.</p>
<p>“You have a BA in math, one which you received a first in. That’s very academic, even if your career isn’t. Besides, you’re a fearless soldier, brilliant military tactician and the Captain who lead the operation which lead to the capture of Hassan al Shadid. You have confidence in shades, Sy. Don’t let that diminish in the face of four people who are very excited to meet you,” she reminded him.</p>
<p>“They are?” She couldn’t help my smile, thinking it was the first time she’d ever seen him doubt himself and how such a sight was very strange, coming from a man so steadfastly confident in himself.</p>
<p>“Yes!” she enthused, laughing softly. By the time it came for them to leave, Naz driving them out to her parent’s house in the suburbs, Sy had ceased to worry about feeling intimidated. Instead, he just sat very uneasily as the passenger within her sister Maryam’s car.</p>
<p>“Eight military tours to war torn countries, shot at more times than I care to count, nearly blown up fifteen times and this is how I fucking die? Naz, bike!” he shouted, running a hand over his face and exhaling a deep breath as she took a roundabout at speed, exiting to a flurry of blaring horns and a very irate man on a motorbike, shaking his fist in her wake.</p>
<p>“What? This is how we drive here,” she spoke nonchalantly, changing down to fourth gear. It had been a while since she’d driven a stick shift, her car back at home an automatic.</p>
<p>“Well don’t!” he yelled, making her laugh. “I don’t see anyone else driving like a drugged up chimpanzee!” She reached over and slapped his thigh playfully for that. “Concentrate on the damn road, lady!”</p>
<p>“I am, but you need to be put in your place and stop being rude about my driving!” she retorted, shaking her head.</p>
<p>“You’re never driving me anywhere again.” He was only half joking with that comment too. They arrived just under half an hour later, a girl Sy presumed to be one of her sisters coming out of the white painted house and immediately looking over the car.</p>
<p>“I’m checking for scratches, she’s a terrible driver. Hi! I’m Maryam,” she told him, brightening as she introduced herself and pulled him into a big hug.</p>
<p>“Sy, good to meet you and yeah, your sister is scary behind the wheel,” he concurred, Maryam nodding with wide eyes and catching her keys neatly when Naz threw them to her, giving her a look that instantly made her snort laughing.</p>
<p>He was greeted in much the same warm, friendly way by the rest of her family, instantly being made to feel very welcome in their home.</p>
<p>“Oh, you make me feel so small! What would you prefer I call you, by the way? James or Sy?” Zara, her mother asked him as she hugged his waist, the very diminutive lady only just about reaching his chest.</p>
<p>“You are so small, mom,” Amira, Naz’s youngest sister interjected with.</p>
<p>“Sy will be fine,” he replied, reaching to shake the oncoming hand of Ahmad, Naz’s father.</p>
<p>“Hello, Sy. I am Ahmad, and very pleased to meet this man who seems to have captivated my daughter so. Come, come. I have cold beer and a yearning to hear about your work!” he told him enthusiastically, steering him in the direction of the garden.</p>
<p>“I knew dad would steal him straight away,” Naz commented, shaking her head as her mother rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>“Go with him, save the poor man having his ear bent all the way off by your father. Here, take this with you.” She presented her with a tray containing hummus, sliced raw vegetables and bread, Naz carrying it out to the massive table and putting it down, taking a seat beside Sy.</p>
<p>“Now then, Naz tells me you are quite the mathematic,” her father began, making his eldest groan faintly when he produced a piece of paper from his pocket. “Let’s see if you can figure this out. The answer to the equation is forty-two, so from that, what do you calculate the value of X to be?” Ahmad continued.</p>
<p>Naz hated when he did this with people. It wasn’t ever meant to be done in anything other than good spirits, but she knew it could come off to some as him wanting to trick them. Sy looked over the paper briefly before sliding it back across the table, Ahmad raising his eyebrows expectantly.</p>
<p>“The value of X is three, but your answer is incorrect. It’s forty-five,” he replied, Naz and her sisters all sharing wide eyed looks. Their father was seldom wrong in his calculations. “Here, pass me the pencil from your pocket.” He then added before sharing the workings out he’d done in his mind.</p>
<p>“Well, would you look at that? You’re absolutely right!” Ahmad exclaimed, incredibly impressed.</p>
<p>“Can anyone hear that noise? It sounds like something backfiring,” Amira chimed in casually, sipping her iced tea as her sisters laughed.</p>
<p>“Ahhh, it was not to catch you out in any way, Sy. I enjoy these brain teasers; my friends and I often do this with each other. But of course, my girls would seek to think I have nefarious intentions,” he explained, smiling kindly.</p>
<p>“I’d be able to tell a mile away if you were,” he commented, Ahmad nodding.</p>
<p>“Well, this much is obvious. You’re an army captain, therefore I deduce you are likely a brilliant tactician. Tell me more about such, or at least as much as you are legally able to.”</p>
<p>Handing him a beer, he then sat and waited expectantly for him to talk, Sy realising the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree at all. Naz took the same keen interest in other people’s lives as her father did. It was just the start of what turned out to be a very enjoyable day with the Hussein family.</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A huge thank you to all of you for your reads and reviews. I appreciate you so much!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="post-content">
  <p>“Admit it, right now you want to spit it out, don’t you? I shall not be offended if you, it is the Iraqi way to make tepsi baytinjan in a unique way from household to household, and my way is hot. Nazanin told you were fine with spicy dishes, so this is her fault,” Zara spoke, trying not to laugh as Sy chewed through a very hot mouthful of food, hot even for him and he greatly enjoyed spice.</p>
  <p>“No, ma’am. It’s very good and she’s right, I am. It’s just that I can’t feel my face right now.” She, along with the rest of her family couldn’t help but laugh with mirth at that, covering his hand with hers and squeezing it, enjoying his humour.</p>
  <p>She hadn’t liked Ben much, finding him to have little warmth and not very much that sparkled about his personality. With Sy, she saw the exact opposite. Zara was very, very pleased with her daughter’s choice.</p>
  <p>“Well if you need a cold glass of milk, this can be arranged.” She told him, laughing more as he eyed the rest of his food with slight suspicion. She’d been cooking since the previous night, wanting to put out an array of traditional Iraqi and Turkish dishes, as usual making far too much.</p>
  <p>For the sake of actually being able to taste the rest of the food, thankfully everything else was not quite as perilously spicy, but it all was absolutely wonderful. They sat and talked while they ate, Sy learning about her family as they did.</p>
  <p>Maryam was a teacher, he learned, her classes consisting of fourteen to fifteen year olds and Amira was just coming into the last year of her PhD in biochemistry. He loved witnessing how proud Ahmad and Zara were of their girls, thinking he’d be just the same if he had kids.</p>
  <p>Looking at Naz, he then smiled, imagining them as parents, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly, feeling his heart flutter when she wound his arm around her shoulders and leant back against his chest, Zara cooing something in Arabic while she and Ahmad began carrying plates back indoors.</p>
  <p>“She said we look perfect together,” Naz told him, Sy smiling.</p>
  <p>“I’m inclined to agree,” he replied, kissing her forehead.</p>
  <p>“Oh, you people in relationships. Meanwhile I’m over here, all single, bitter and full of resentment. Resentment and wine.” Maryam snorted into her glass of dry white, making them laugh. They helped take in the rest of the bowls and plates, the women staying indoors while Sy and Ahmad found themselves back out in the garden once more, enjoying conversation.</p>
  <p>One of the many things they discussed was the persecution Ahmad still sometimes received because of his roots, something which baffled Sy, even at someone who’d been on the front lines of the Iraqi war. Then again, the narrow minded never easily forgot.</p>
  <p>“It is hard still at times, for all of us. People hear that you are Iraqi and there is this pre-conceived notion of evil, especially since we share our family name with one of the evilest men to have blighted the history of my homeland. But truly we are just regular evil, like everyone else,” he joked, making Sy laugh.</p>
  <p>“We all have our light and our dark monsters. It just depends which one you nourish more,” he observed, Ahmad raising his eyebrows as he sipped his coffee.</p>
  <p>“A very profound analogy, I like it. Who is your predominant monster of choice?” he inquired.</p>
  <p>“Light for my loved ones, dark for war. I need that duality more than most,” he replied, Ahmad thinking to himself that the young man before him was likely right, knowing it took a special kind of temperament to do the job he did. “And yours?”</p>
  <p>“Mostly light. Dark for the tax inspection board.” His joke made Sy laugh loudly, thinking to himself what a shame it was, having to leave in a few hours. He really liked Naz’s family, he felt so welcome within their home. All of them had so much personality and good humour, they were extremely charismatic people, just like the beautiful young woman he’d fallen in love with.  </p>
  <p>They remained outside talking for a while, Naz inside sitting at the kitchen table with her mom and sisters, drinking it all in, the sights and smells of home. She might have been very happy in America, but she missed her family terribly, only seeing them three or four times a year at the very most. Their unit was an extremely tightly knit one.</p>
  <p>When it came to say goodbye and leave in a cab, Naz was in tears, hugging everyone tightly and promising to call as soon as she landed, Sy being bid farewell just as warmly as he was welcomed.</p>
  <p>“Your family are amazing,” he told her, holding her hand in the back of the cab as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.</p>
  <p>“Aren’t they? Oh my god, they loved you so much! Dad told me that I should hang onto you, that he could tell you’re a good man. I told him I plan on doing just that.” Beaming at him, she then looked out of the window, drinking in the sights of Turkey for the last time until she could likely return the following year.</p>
  <p>“Okay, so I have a confession to make,” he told her once at the airport, Naz looking at him in a puzzled way. “We’re not going to London and then connecting to Dallas. We’re flying direct to New York and I’m taking you on vacation to Vermont for ten days. You always said you wanted to visit but never found the time, so now you can.” Her eyes practically bulged in surprise, Naz absolutely elated as she leapt straight into his arms with joy.</p>
  <p>“When did you even organise this?” she shouted, jumping down again and kissing his cheek a few times before he took her hand and began to walk her in the direction of the terminal.</p>
  <p>“I booked it all prior to leaving Syria, took for fucking ever too as the damn connection kept dropping on my cell. I wanted to surprise you though and it looks like it worked.” It made him happy to see her so lit up and excited, getting to take her to a place she’d mentioned to him many times over the last few months.</p>
  <p>She could hardly wait, bubbling with excitement for the entire plane ride to New York, barely sleeping for longer than a couple of hours. They arrived at shortly before 7am New York time, getting something to eat and doing some clothes shopping first, since neither had much of anything with them, before Sy picked up a hire car, resolute that Naz was not allowed behind the wheel for the entire eight hours it would take to arrive.</p>
  <p>“So, how many people did I piss off by snoring?” he asked her, glad the mid-morning traffic was quite clear on the freeway.</p>
  <p>“Everyone. The stewardess had to hand out earplugs! I’m used to it, I actually find the fact you snore like a brontosaurus with a broken nose quite soothing, but anyone within a ten-seat radius wasn’t so agreeable.” He laughed loudly at that, her likening his snores to a dinosaur. “So, are you really going to drive the entire way and not let me once you’ve stopped for a rest?”</p>
  <p>“Nazanin, you’re my lady and the love of my life, but baby, I’d choose dodging mortar fire over being a passenger to your driving ever again.” He reached for her thigh and squeezed it affectionately when she poked out her bottom lip sadly, making him laugh more by further protruding it until she went from looking adorable to ridiculous.</p>
  <p>He’d never been with anyone who had made him laugh as much as she did. Sy had been famed for taking life way too seriously and being quite grumpy at times prior to meeting Naz, but his relationship with her had flushed out the lighter side of him so much more than even he himself had bargained for.</p>
  <p>She was an amazing girlfriend, but after just three days in Vermont, all of that changed considerably.</p>
  <p>“How does it feel, knowing you’re not my girlfriend any longer? It’s weird, isn’t it? We decided correctly, though,” he asked her, approaching where she was stood on the balcony leading off the restaurant, overlooking the stunning grounds of the hotel.</p>
  <p>“It isn’t weird at all, not now I’m your wife.” She sighed happily, turning to sink into her husband’s arms, thinking just how lucky she was to have become Mrs Syverson the previous afternoon.</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am so sorry I've been MIA for a few days, guys. I have been super busy since Friday but finally found the time to pop on and update. I'll leave a couple of chapters to make up for it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Three days previously…</em>
</p><p>“Oh my god! This view! The lake, and the trees…and the lake!” Naz exclaimed as Sy tipped the bellboy, walking over to where she was standing on the balcony. It had cost him a small fortune, but she was worth it. He’d seen the hotel and knew she’d absolutely fall in love with the place. He had a very special reason for it to be a memorable vacation.</p><p>“It’s not bad, is it?” he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist, thinking how pretty she looked. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and all her hair was pulled up in a high, messy bun, but she looked so luminous to him in her pretty bright yellow sundress, her face bathed in a serene smile as the sun shone down on her.</p><p>“You look tired. Shall we go and get dinner or order room service? Either way, let’s do nothing invasive tonight after you drove so far,” she suggested, Sy raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“There was one invasive thing I was thinking of doing,” he told her, beginning to kiss her from one shoulder to the other, making her back tingle.</p><p>“You’re never too tired for that.” She commented as she turned in his arms, kissing him hotly as his hands slid into her dress, undoing the ribbon ties of the flimsy pink undies she wore, picking her up and carrying her over to the large bed.</p><p>He crouched at the foot, pushing her dress up and stroking the back of her thighs with his fingertips, the glide slow and sensual as he laid kisses from her knee, down her inner thigh, eventually stopping at her…</p><p>“Ohhhhh.” She sighed softly, feeling his tongue whirl over her slit before pushing within her hot, pink folds. He sought out her clit immediately, pushing the hood back with his thumb and slowly circling it with the tip of his tongue, drawing soft moans from her, her nails raking his scalp.</p><p>He alternated between circling and taking slow licks with the flat of his tongue, catching every last bit of her, her velvety cunt feeling heavenly against his eager mouth. Her hips juddered, her legs writhing against his face until he pushed them down onto the bed, holding her still as he ate her hungrily.</p><p>She flowed against his tongue, Sy growling wantonly as he sucked and licked at her, Naz’s moans filling the air as she clutched at the covers, his forearms, her breasts, at a loss to know exactly what to do with her hands, his mouth felt so criminally good.</p><p>Arousal throbbed through her, reaching to pull her dress and bra off, his hands travelling her nakedness before he reached down to undo his jeans, freeing his hardness. The then climbed onto the bed with her, kneeling before her and sinking deep within her cunt, fighting her off when she tugged at his clothes.</p><p>“How crazy would it drive you if I kept everything on?” he whispered in her ear, hand gently stroking her neck.</p><p>“I think you know the correct answer to such a question. Please just take them off, don’t be a tease,” she whined, her tongue pushing against his as he licked her cupids bow.</p><p>“I think I’ll leave them on, all while I hold you down and keep you held there, so I watch how your face changes as I force you to cum around my cock, again and again, ‘till you can’t take it any longer, darlin’. How’d you like that?”</p><p>Smiling mischievously as she bit her lip, Naz didn’t think she could ever be talked to orgasm before, but if anything was going to get her there, it was what she’d just heard. He was obviously in a barbarous, dominant mood. Who was she to argue with that?</p><p>Also as she’d requested, he was replacing the memory of the last time something tightened around her neck. Now, it was no longer a shackle chain held by al Shadid in Syria, it was Sy’s hand in a beautiful sunshine filled bedroom in Vermont. Memory erased wonderfully.</p><p>Plunging his dick into her tight, wet little hole, he flexed his hand at her throat, exciting her with his control, maintaining eye contact as he leaned down to kiss her every so often, loving the feel of her plush cunt flexing around his shaft.</p><p>“Mmmm, I love how big you are, how much you stretch me wide,” he purred, grabbing his t shirt and hauling him closer, kissing him with furious passion.</p><p>“And I love how hot you look split around it, baby.” He told her, winking and making her stomach flip before he continued to plunge into her wetness.</p><p>He nudged spots so deep that tingles radiated throughout her insides, heat licking her spine and settling in the pit of her groin as he dragged her velvet walls, her nails digging into his forearms, ecstasy flooding her.</p><p>“Fuck me, ahhh, harder, yes!” she squeaked, her face a helpless exclamation at the force of each thrust, his arousal charging through him strongly as he began to pound her with merciless fury.</p><p>She felt her undoing upon her, lightning striking home, white heat crackling and her nerves pulsing wildly, Sy not slowing nor ceasing his furious thrusts, hand gripping her throat a little tighter as he savagely pounded her, rubbing her clit with his thumb as Naz trembled against him and incredibly, felt her pleasure pool before she came again.</p><p>Still, he continued, the pace arduous, Naz wailing as her body surrendered to him completely, trembling as he fucked her, her pussy ablaze for him as she creamed his thick cock.</p><p>Their pleasure smouldered, Sy realising he couldn’t hold back for a third time without allowing himself to tip into bliss with her, each thrust keener, faster, his hand flexing her throat as white hot waves began to pulse through him.</p><p>Deliberately squeezing her inner muscles around him tighter as she felt herself fluttering was the precursor to her blooming vividly, colours illuminating as she cried out, Sy groaning through his orgasm as he filled her with cum.</p><p>“Please close your balcony door next time!” Came the voice of someone outside trying to relax on their own nearby balcony, Sy and Naz both snorting with laughter before erupting.</p><p>“I’m so sorry!” Naz called back, putting her dress back on and going to close it. “Hi!” she then said, waving at the red faced woman on the next balcony over, who finally managed a small wave back through her embarrassment of hearing the sex session between the young couple next door.</p><p>Once she was back in the room, she couldn’t breathe for laughing, Sy arranging himself back in his jeans as he tried to compose his own chuckles. It didn’t work. He changed his shirt and Naz fixed her hair and did her makeup, changing into another of the five dresses she’d bought that morning, a black one with pink flowers on the long hem before they headed down for dinner.</p><p>There was a vast patio area at the rear of the hotel which overlooked the dense forest it bordered, seating all set out there as well as a main dining room. It was the outdoor section they were shown to by a very friendly waitress, informing them the menu had changed that evening as the chef was preparing barbecued dishes.</p><p>“Can I start you off with some drinks?” she asked them as they sat down.</p><p>“I’ll take a Miller, and…” Sy began, looking at Naz.</p><p>“Please could I have a mojito?” she asked.</p><p>“Sure, single or pitcher?” the waitress enquired.</p><p>“Pitcher,” Sy confirmed for her.</p><p>“Are you trying to get me drunk?” Naz asked, the waitress taking their order and bustling away.</p><p>“Yes.” His unflinching honesty made her laugh, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze.</p><p>They had a wonderful first night there, Naz noticing by the time it went dark that the trees surrounding their end of the lake were covered in solar lights, all twinkling through the darkness. They took a walk around the edge after they’d eaten, Naz feeling nicely tipsy as she leaned into his embrace, the sound of cicadas chirping filling the air.</p><p>“Hold on, baby. I got a shoelace undone,” he suddenly said, stopping to crouch down. What happened next was perhaps the last Naz expected. “Nazanin Sabrina Hussein, you are the love of my life and I never want to be without you. Will you marry me?” He spoke, producing a ring box from nowhere, flipping it open and revealing a beautiful marquis cut diamond engagement ring.</p><p>Her mouth dropped open, tears filling her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hands, not needing any time to contemplate her answer at all. He was the one. She’d known this for months.</p><p>“Yes!”</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When he woke up the following morning, the first sight Sy encountered was of Naz lying next to him, watching her engagement ring twinkle in the morning sun. It made his heart happier than he ever imagined he could feel after his breakup with Heather, vowing that marriage wasn’t worth it after the big, screaming mess theirs had ended in.  </p><p>Naz had changed his mind completely, though. Before he even left Syria, he knew he wanted to ask her to be his wife. It didn’t matter than they’d only known each other for eight months and been together for five. He knew the real thing when he felt it, and what he felt for her far eclipsed anything he’d ever experienced.  </p><p>“Hello, my scorpion,” she greeted him with after noticing that he was awake, turning to give him a kiss.</p><p>“Morning, baby. Morning, Hector,” he replied, reaching up to gently poke the tiny, flat mole on the side of her nose. Since mistaking it for a piercing and declaring he would name it Hector when he was high on pain meds after being shot, it had stuck. It made her laugh heartily whenever he mentioned it.  </p><p>“So, it’s alright, the ring? You like it?” He then asked, nodding towards her left hand.</p><p>“I absolutely love it! But when did you even have time to go and purchase it? We’ve been virtually joined at the hip for the last five days,” she remarked, very curious over how he’d pulled it off.</p><p>“Remember when I went for a run while you slept in, on the morning after I arrived in Turkey? Well, I didn’t go for a run. I spent an hour in a jewellery store, glad you sleep like the dead when given the opportunity so I could choose it. It was either that or an emerald cut one. That one was more you, though,” he replied, turning over and kissing her bare shoulder.  </p><p>“You’re absolutely right, it is,” she told him, staring at it dreamily. It was the most beautiful piece of jewellery she’d ever owned.</p><p>“So, when do you want to get married, then? Also, where? I know you ladies nearly always have your perfect day planned out years and years before you’ve even met the guy,” he then asked, Naz turning onto her front and getting comfy hugging her pillow.</p><p>“I don’t want anything fussy. Just small and lovely, close family and friends only, unless…” She paused, looking thoughtful for a few moments, looking between him and the pillow a few times before she finally replied. “How about we do it while we’re up here, just us? I mean, it is absolutely perfect and if it isn’t too soon, I think it would be nice. Oh god, it’s too soon, isn’t it?”</p><p>“No, no, don’t panic! I was just thinking that it actually is really perfect. Getting married doesn’t have to be about having a wedding, it just needs to be about us. We can do something at a later date for family and friends, get your folks and Maryam and Amira over too,” he suggested, Naz sitting up and bouncing with excitement.</p><p>“We’re getting married!” she shouted, much too loud for his ears to cope with at 7:30am, jumping out of bed and straight into the shower, a place he joined her in a few minutes later.  </p><p>“What do you want to do first, then?” he asked, stroking her arms on the balcony once they’d dried off and dressed.</p><p>“Go eat breakfast and then head into Woodstock town? I read that they have museums and you know how much I love them, unless you wanted to do anything else?” she asked, turning to kiss him.  </p><p>“Well, there was one thing,” he began stroking the back of her legs as he lifted her dress. “I can control myself until this afternoon, though, so we may go seek other activities to do rather than just doing each other. Also, we can head to the town clerk’s office and apply for a marriage license while we’re there, so then that’s that done. Also, buy our wedding rings too,” he told her, Naz nuzzling his neck.  </p><p>“Perfect!” she replied, kissing him again. Getting away from the hotel was a must on that day anyway, since a wedding and reception were taking place there that afternoon, the entire hotel a whirl of activity when they left at 10am.</p><p>It was only a twenty-minute walk into town, leaving the car in the parking lot and enjoying the sun, Naz insisting they stop to say hello to a herd of cows whose ears she scratched and noses she kissed, Sy taking pictures of her.  </p><p>He loved the utter delight she found in the simplest of things, like petting a cow, or getting an item of clothing for half off like she had the dress she was wearing while they were briefly in New York. She looked so beautiful in it, a long, near floor length maxi dress, deep grey in colour, complimenting her grey eyes.  </p><p>“Come here,” he told her, holding his phone out and then pulling her near to kiss her, capturing a picture of it.  </p><p>“You’re not a selfie guy,” she commented, Sy taking a couple more.</p><p>“I am when you’re in the picture. I love you so much, baby. I can’t wait for you to be my wife.” He told her, kissing her cheek repeatedly and grabbing her hand, continuing to walk. She loved how affectionate he was with her, having spent months and months keeping their relationship a secret, it felt good to not have to hide all they were any longer.  </p><p>It took longer than twenty minutes to arrive in Woodstock town in the end, Sy continuing to stop just to kiss her along the way. Their day passed by in a blur of happy activity, a marriage license applied for and purchased, museums visited, wedding rings bought, lunch eaten and Sy finally having to drag Naz away, who was very reluctant to leave.  </p><p>“We need to eat there at some point, look how pretty it is!” she said, viewing a restaurant surrounded by trees, little lanterns hanging from the branches and a small fountain outside.</p><p>“Okay, I’ll make a reservation once we’re back at the hotel, see if they have a table for tonight. Now, hurry that sexy ass up. I have plans for you.” His wink left her in no doubt over those plans, after all he had made his intentions for the afternoon clear that morning, intentions she wasn’t about to pass up.  </p><p>By the time they arrived back at the hotel, they expected the same flurry of activity that had been all around that morning, but instead were greeted by quite the different sight. Cars were leaving, decorations being taken down from the outdoors area and a marquee being disassembled, Naz’s jaw dropping when they walked past a few guests and heard that apparently, the bride had run off with one of the guests.  </p><p>“Oh my god! That’s some serious tea that lady just spilled!” she exclaimed quietly absolutely shocked. “Who does that? Who leaves it right until their wedding day to abscond like that, the poor guy!” she then continued as they approached reception, overhearing another conversation that to them, was far more interesting to hear.</p><p>“So, there’s absolutely no chance of her coming back? If you think there is at all, I can wait around perhaps another fifteen to twenty minutes before I need to leave for my next wedding.” The person they deduced had to be the registrar asked one of the bridesmaids, who shook her head. He gave her a little pat on the arm and told her he hoped everything worked out for the best with her friend before turning to leave.  </p><p>“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Naz asked, Sy squeezing her hand and smiling widely.</p><p>“Excuse me, we couldn’t help overhearing your conversation in there and, well this might be inappropriate, but if we paid you whatever your charge is, would you stick around and marry us, since you have time?” Sy asked, the man coming to a stop before them.  </p><p>“Well, my services have already been paid for, let me just get on the phone with my office and see if they can send over a marriage certificate. I take it you’re applied for a license already, yes?” They confirmed that they had, showing him the relevant paperwork before going back inside the reception area and talking on his phone.  </p><p>“I did think they’d email a copy, but a girl from our office who is finishing for the day and driving up this way is bringing a proper copy up with her. She’ll be here in ten minutes, so in the meantime, let’s get you both married, then!” The registrar told them after they’d waited a few minutes, Naz bouncing with excitement.</p><p>“I kinda think I should wear something fancier than jeans and a t shirt,” Sy commented, Naz shaking her head.</p><p>“Well, you don’t have a suit with you and we don’t have the time, either. Besides, it isn’t about what we wear, it’s about us. Just us.” Telling the registrar they wanted to be married down by the side of the lake, they followed him down hand in hand, Sy suddenly stopping.  </p><p>“Here. Every bride needs flowers.” He told Naz after picking two small purple ones from a nearby ornamental tub, placing them behind her ear and kissing her forehead. She was touched by the gesture, continuing down to the lake while hugging his arm.</p><p>She felt like she was floating all the way through the short, but very lovely ceremony, hardly able to believe she was marrying the gorgeous man she’d met eight and a half months previously. If someone had told her back then that she’d just met her future husband, she’d have insisted it wasn’t so.  </p><p>The last five months had been a whirlwind though, never being hit so hard by love as she was with Sy. He truly was everything to her, just as she was to him, holding her hands and smiling at her for the entirety of the ceremony. In that moment, they were happier than they’d ever been before.  </p><p>“So, with vows and rings exchanged, James, Nazanin, it gives me the greatest pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.” Sy wiped away the two happy little tears that ran down her cheeks before leaning down to kiss her, all the hotel staff up on the patio who had come to a stop to watch erupting into cheers and applause.  </p><p>“Here, one of you give me your email and I’ll send this over to you, since you didn’t have a photographer,” the registrar spoke eventually, turning his phone to show them a lovely couple of photographs he’d taken. Naz quickly typed hers out for him when he handed over his cell and with that it was sent.  </p><p>They spent most of the next ten minutes basking in the warm glow of knowing they were married to one another, signing the paperwork when the girl from the office arrived before thanking the registrar.  </p><p>“Now, there was something I wanted to do this afternoon. What was it? Oh yeah. My wife. That’s what I wanted to do.” Sy told her, picking her up in his arms and carrying her into the hotel.  </p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Careful, don’t damage the flowers. I want to press them so I can keep them,” Naz told her rather unbridled husband as he swept his fingers through her hair, kissing her longingly. Taking them from behind her ear, she set them down on the table to the side of the hotel room door, turning back to Sy with a smouldering look. “Now you may devour me.”</p>
<p>He did exactly as instructed, pushing her back against the door and lowering her dress, mouth meeting her bare breasts (with a backless dress she couldn’t wear a bra) and biting her nipples gently, his hands smoothing down her sides and hungrily yanking at her thong until it snapped. The gesture of wild urgency did wonders for her arousal, noting no one had ever been so ravenous for her that they’d literally torn her underwear off.</p>
<p>Sinking down to crouch before her, he lifted her leg over his shoulder and wasted no time in burying his mouth between her legs. She gasped softly when his tongue met her slit, running over it a few times before delving within.</p>
<p>Her caressed her clit with slow, swirling licks, moaning faintly as his hands massaged her toned legs, blue eyes staring up at her before they closed, a content groan echoing up from his throat. If there was one thing Sy truly got off on, it was going down on a woman.</p>
<p>His fingers stroked at her narrow waist, curling around to run in circles across her back as his tongue pushed inside her, her hot wetness flooding his mouth as she panted, gasping at how good his tongue felt, nails trailing over his scalp and down his neck as her hips shook</p>
<p>It felt amazing, the way he licked at her so thoroughly, pausing to suck at her every so often also as he stared up at her, hands stroking her body as his tongue began to move up and down over her clit in a fast, rhythmic beat.</p>
<p>Her wails of ecstasy filled the room as he invaded her wetness with his fingers, the tight squeeze of her inner muscles the catalyst to his cock beginning to inflate, imagining being buried to the hilt inside such hot, velvety flesh. He lavished licks and sucks upon her until her clit hardened against his tongue, the swollen bud bouncing a little against it as he continued to lick at her without pause.</p>
<p>Her plush wetness continued to gently contract around his fingers as he began to pump them into her at a faster pace, panting against her soft, wet folds, her moans escalating his arousal so potently that all he wanted to do was impale her on his cock. Luckily for him, Naz was craving exactly the same result.</p>
<p>Pulling him up, she hungrily shed him of his clothes, pushing him back towards a chair beside the balcony windows, raking his chest with her nails as they kissed urgently, the deep, rumbling moan he emitted making her insides pulse with want.</p>
<p>Pushing him down to a sitting position she climbed astride him, his arms wrapping around her and hands smoothing down her back as he sucked at one of her nipples, groaning when her hand reached for his hardness and began to sumptuously travel up and down his shaft.</p>
<p>She paused, lubricating her hand by rubbing her oozing cunt a few times before returning it to his erection, kissing him fiercely as she played with his hardened cock. It jerked strongly against her hand, Sy biting her lip as she swept her palm over his shaft.</p>
<p>He groaned with carnal desire, the clawing of her nails at the side of his neck adding to the overall scintillation. Shuddering against her and whispering the word ‘fuck’ in a breathless hiss against her throat, he closed his eyes tightly, consumed further by Naz pushing his foreskin back and rubbing her thumb all over the sensitive head beneath, pre cum oozing from the slit.</p>
<p>As she worked him even harder, she positioned the tip of his dick against her clit, the stimulation massively sensitive for them both as they groaned into their kisses. She had him so ridiculously turned on he couldn’t bear another moment to pass by without being inside her, so moved her hand and fed his hardness into her pussy, pulling her down on him as he slid into her fully.</p>
<p>She gasped and bit his lower lip before her tongue swirled with his again, starting to rock against him as he filled her completely, consumed by desire as her nails grazed down his neck and over the bulging muscles of his arms.</p>
<p>Their bodies slid against each other with delicious friction, Naz throwing her head back and moaning as the head of his hardness hit a spot deep within her, tingles of euphoric pleasure pulsing through her as his hands gripped her ass before moving slowly up her back once more. His fingertips chased the fire licking her spine, invoked by his cock from how amazingly deeply he slotted into her.</p>
<p>He had to tighten his arms around her to prevent her from losing her balance with the force she ground herself down on his cock with, fucking him furiously, crying out helplessly as he licked, bit and kissed the column of her neck.</p>
<p>His hot breaths blasted against her skin as he groaned a low, gravelly growl of pure lust, her nails dragging down his back, marking him with bright red scratches as she felt her undoing building within like a well stoked fire, burning ever brighter until she broke to pieces entirely, taking him with her into the abyss of throbbing, all-consuming pleasure.</p>
<p>She fluttered around him as they cooled down, stroking and kissing one another before Sy stood with her in his arms, carrying her straight into the second shower they’d share together that day. It was exponentially sexier than the first one, though.</p>
<p>Afterwards they got ready, Sy reserving a table at the place Naz wanted to eat at while she dried her hair and did her makeup, once again deciding to walk back down into town.</p>
<p>“I keep looking at you and thinking, ‘fuck, that’s my wife there.’ I can’t believe it, it’s fucking amazing though, huh?” he told her as they walked, Naz nodding, her smile sublime.</p>
<p>“Yes, my gorgeous, amazing, sexually devastating husband. It is fucking amazing.” They went for drinks at a bar until their table was ready, moving outside to the beautiful outdoor seating area with the lantern lit trees afterwards to enjoy more beers as the sky darkened above.</p>
<p>“I’m a damn lucky man. You could have chosen anyone and yet, there was something about me that rang your bell. I mean, not that I don’t see my own awesome, but why me?” he asked, stroking her forearm idly.</p>
<p>“Because you make my heart happy in a way I’ve tried to pinpoint, but I just can’t. Other than the fact I find you interesting and smart, you make me laugh, I know you’re very invested in my happiness, there’s just something inexplicable. It’s kismet,” she replied, squeezing his hand.</p>
<p>“You’re right. It really is. We were always meant to find each other, Naz.” Her heart swelled with love at his words as he leaned over to kiss her, tickling her neck with his fingertips.</p>
<p>It was perfect, like living in a dream, just her, him, a smattering of other people dotted around and a young girl employed by the restaurant playing acoustic guitar over by the side entrance. “Wait here.” Sy told her, before getting up to approach the guitar playing girl.</p>
<p>“Do you take requests?” he asked her, the girl stopping her playing.</p>
<p>“Sure do, unless you want me to play Slayer or something. You look like a metal fan, but I’d likely be fired,” she replied, making him chuckle.</p>
<p>“I am a metal fan, well spotted. It’s a song for my wife I want you to play, though. Her favourite, actually. Do you know Reflecting Light by Sam Philips?” he questioned, happy when her face lit up.</p>
<p>“Know it? It’s one of my favourites too! Your wife has good taste.” He tipped her a generous fifty dollars and then walked back to Naz just the girl began to strum the opening bars, watching as she turned in her seat to look at him curiously.</p>
<p>“Come on, Mrs Syverson. Let’s do at least one traditional thing and have our first dance as husband and wife.” She took the hand he held out to her, walking with him under the trees to slow dance with him for the first time, let alone as a married couple.</p>
<p>Resting her head on his shoulder, she felt like she was home. To her, he was everything, her safety, her love, her stability, her friend, her lover, her husband, her all.</p>
<p>“I love you so much,” she whispered, stroking his face before spun around and then bent back over his arm.</p>
<p>“I love you too, baby.” He told her, leaning down to kiss her, making her giggle happily as her favourite song, sung so beautifully by the girl with the guitar, drifted through the air.</p>
<p>
  <em>Now that I’ve worn out<br/>
I’ve worn out the world<br/>
I’m on my knees in fascination<br/>
Looking through the night<br/>
And the moon’s never seen me before<br/>
But I’m reflecting light</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I rode the pain down<br/>
Got off and looked up<br/>
Looked into your eyes<br/>
The lost open windows<br/>
All around<br/>
My dark heart lit up the skies</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Now that I’ve worn out<br/>
I’ve worn out the world<br/>
I’m on my knees in fascination<br/>
Looking through the night<br/>
And the moon’s never seen me before<br/>
But I’m reflecting light</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Give up the ground<br/>
Under your feet<br/>
Hold on to nothing for good<br/>
Turn and run at the mean dogs<br/>
Chasing you<br/>
Stand-alone and misunderstood</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Now that I’ve worn out<br/>
I’ve worn out the world<br/>
I’m on my knees in fascination<br/>
Looking through the night<br/>
And the moon’s never seen me before<br/>
But I’m reflecting light</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh man. I missed this,” Sy exclaimed, flopping face first down onto his comfortable bed, briefly sitting up again to pull Naz down with him. Home for the first time in almost four years. It felt good, even though he’d only be staying for a week before heading to Virginia.</p>
<p>“So, what are our plans for today, now I’ve been given the house tour?” she asked, stroking his broad back.  </p>
<p>“Sleep, it’s early still, after all. You twenty-seven-year olds have way too much sexual energy, even for me. I’m fucking exhausted and my dick hurts.” While in Vermont, they’d enjoyed themselves greatly, not really leaving their hotel room much in the first few days that followed their marriage. However, having sex up to five times a day took its toll eventually.  </p>
<p>“Well, that’s what you get for having a wife eight years younger than you. But come on, you speak like you’re an old man when you’re only thirty-five,” she told him, climbing astride his legs and lifting his t shirt, beginning to kiss her way up his spine. “You have plenty of energy.”  </p>
<p>“One time, and then I’m sleeping!” he exclaimed, turning beneath her and undoing her jeans as she pulled off her top, his hand pushing inside them as they began to kiss heatedly. Naz might have been just as sore as he was, but hell, she needed him. He was absolutely nothing short of sexually addictive, their chemistry together stronger than anything.  </p>
<p>“God damnit, I’m getting denim burns on my knuckles trying to get inside these. Take ‘em off!” he finally exclaimed after fighting against her skinny jeans, the latter winning.  </p>
<p>Naz giggled, getting off the bed and removing the offending item of clothing, everything else too before climbing back on top of him, pulling his t shirt off and kissing the side of his neck, a soft moan leaving her mouth as his fingers pushed inside her.  </p>
<p>He curled them over, raking them against her firmly, his mouth finding hers as she unfastened his pants and pulled his cock out, working him until he was fully rigid and heavy within her hand. She throbbed for him, gasping when he moved his hand in such a way that his palm rubbed her clit as he continued to finger fuck her.</p>
<p>There was no gradual build needed, both craving one another so much that any elongated foreplay simply wasn’t desired, Naz stripping him out of the rest of his clothes before moving back astride him, guiding his cock within her with a satisfied sigh.  </p>
<p>“Fuck, that pussy is so tight and wet, baby,” he grunted as she squeezed around him, rolling her hips against him in firm, focused movements while kissing his chest.  </p>
<p>“Me and my magmatic little cunt are glad we please you so much,” she told him playfully, Sy laughing quietly, whispering ‘I love you’ before his mouth met hers, hands grasping her ass as he began to move beneath her in perfect sexual sync.  </p>
<p>Pushing up off of him, gasping when his remaining inches filled her to the hilt, she rode him steadily to begin with, establishing a rhythm that had them both moaning in bliss, nerve endings tingling, hands stroking, Sy moving up beneath her to catch her nipples between his teeth.  </p>
<p>“No. Down boy,” she told him firmly, pushing him back to the bed.</p>
<p>“Oh, so she’s forceful today, hmm?” He inquired, raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“You can’t be boss everywhere, scorpion,” she quipped, licking her lip and winking at him.  </p>
<p>“I think I’m prepared to let you take charge here, Mrs S.” He told her, groaning as his hands bracketed her waist, watching his glistening cock appear and disappear a little more rapidly as she upped the pace atop him.  </p>
<p>All became wild, uncontained and sinfully heated, chasing their releases with gusto before tipping into the beauty of utter nirvana, Sy pulling the covers over them and gladly falling asleep soon after. It was only a little past 5am, he could stay in bed at least until noon before trying to get back into a regular schedule.  </p>
<p>Naz, however, slept for four hours and then decided to go and buy some groceries, promising her still half-asleep husband she’d be careful with his truck before driving out to the nearest Wallmart. If he’d been fully awake and comprehending, he probably wouldn’t have allowed her to use it, so she left in a hurry before he could change his mind.  </p>
<p>Unlike most of regiment, he lived off base about ten minutes from Fort Hood, Naz driving past it on her way to buy the groceries. It was huge, much bigger than she’d expected.  </p>
<p>“Fuck! Don’t dent the baby, don’t dent the baby!” she cursed after turning right and almost having another car whom she’d cut up drive into her. Being behind the wheel wasn’t something that came naturally to her, she was often clumsy. The word oops could be uttered anything up to three or four times in the space of a twenty-minute drive.  </p>
<p>She managed to get back in one piece though, actually really enjoying driving a vehicle so big and powerful, Sy making her laugh by immediately checking his beloved GMC Sierra for scratches as soon as she pulled into the driveway, frowning at her in a comical way.  </p>
<p>“You took advantage of me being half asleep and still all sexually bamboozled, stealing my baby!” he told her, taking one of two of the grocery bags she held.  </p>
<p>“We needed food and I needed a pedicure. Besides, the truck is fine. It’s much easier to drive than it looks,” she commented as they headed inside.  </p>
<p>“That doesn’t mean I’m gon’ let you!” he shouted playfully. True to his word, he insisted she remain firmly in the passenger seat for the entire two-and-a-half-hour drive to Eastland to visit his family the following day.  </p>
<p>While he drove, hand idly stroking her thigh, Naz kicked off her flip flops got comfortable, resting one foot on the open window as she read Factotum, a book Sy had loaned to her by Charles Bukowski. In two hours, she’d read half of it, her reading rate impressive to him as ever.  </p>
<p>Another thing he loved about her was that she could do that at all, just happily read while sharing silence with him, allowing him to concentrate on the road ahead. Other women in his past had felt the need to talk his ear off during a long road trip, but Naz sat there quietly, only speaking every so often and otherwise happily engrossed in the book.  </p>
<p>“I’m suddenly very nervous,” she spoke as they turned into the long, paddock lined driveway that lead to the Syverson family homestead. Mares and foals quietly grazed in the summer sun, swishing their tails happily, a picture of serenity. It was far from how she was feeling.  </p>
<p>“Why? They’ll love you,” he reassured her, squeezing her leg affectionately.  </p>
<p>“They’re the first people we’re going to tell about getting married! I know we didn’t think it was too soon, but I’m certain others will. Why don’t you think I haven’t told my mom and dad yet? Oh gosh, I need to breathe,” she stated, starting to panic.  </p>
<p>“Naz, calm down, baby. Even if they do think it’s too quick, it’s done now and to be frank, it ain’t anyone else’s business but ours, is it? It’d be nice if everyone thought the same as we do, but like you said, others likely will think we married too soon after five months.  </p>
<p>“Let ‘em think that, we’re both adults, capable of making our own decisions and we made the right one. Now, are you ready to go in, or do I have to hold your hair while you throw up?”</p>
<p>His joke made her laugh, not realising that somewhere in his calming reply they’d actually come to a stop outside of the huge ranch. Wow. She thought her parent’s spacious abode was big; this place was easily twice the size.</p>
<p>“Okay, I think I’m ready,” she said, taking a deep breath.</p>
<p>“Well, you need to be. Because I have an incoming Lucy,” he replied as he got out of the truck, referring to his immediate younger sister, her scream becoming more audible as she ran from the front step to jump into her brother’s arms.  </p>
<p>The other siblings she knew to be named Stephanie, Lauren, Grace and Cameron all piled out soon after, followed by his mom and dad, greeting him warmly while Naz hung back, wanting him to reunite with his family.  </p>
<p>“Oh my god, James brought a girl home!” Lucy then exclaimed before bounding over to her. “Hey, oh wow, you’re so pretty! I love your earrings! I’m Lucy, welcome!” she greeted her enthusiastically, giving her a hug. Sy was right; Lucy was full of sunshine.  </p>
<p>“Son, how on earth have you even had chance to meet a new girl?” his father asked as Naz walked over, Sy wrapping his arm around her.</p>
<p>“We met in Syria eight months ago, she works for the CIA as a translator. Everyone, this is Nazanin. My wife.”  </p>
<p>“Your what?” his mom immediately shouted, making Naz shrink into Sy a little.  </p>
<p>“Hello, it’s so nice to meet you all.” Naz offered, noting that if his mom’s face was affronted at learning the news of his marriage, hearing her new daughter in law’s accent definitely threw her through a loop she wasn’t expecting. There was an uncomfortable silence that followed, the Syverson family all a little shocked before Sy’s dad shook himself and stepped forward.</p>
<p>“Excuse me, I’m so sorry! It’s just a little shocking to hear, not seeing my boy for almost four years and then he comes back with a wife! I’m Mitch, great to meet you, hon. Come on in, let me fix you with a drink. It’s damned hot as the devil’s ass out here!”  </p>
<p>Sy breathed a sigh of relief at the fact his dad, jovial and going with the flow as ever was quick to make Naz feel welcome, but frowned a little at the way his mom was looking at him. He sensed, as he would discover, that this would be where the first problem for he and his new wife would arise.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, Nazanin. You work for the CIA as a translator and that’s about as far as we got, apart from the fact you can’t have a lot of common sense to marry my fat head of a son,” Mitch joked, opening the fridge and gesturing between the many bottles of beer and wine. “From your accent, I’m guessing you’re likely not originally from over here, right?”</p>
<p>He was working his ass off to make the poor girl feel comfortable, noticing his wife’s affronted reaction had made her shrink back a little nervously. He didn’t like anyone to feel unwelcome in his home, even though hearing she was his new daughter in law had thrown him through a loop.  </p>
<p>Mitch hadn’t even known Sy was dating, but that was no big shock in itself as his son had always been quiet about his love life, so it was no real surprise to him that he hadn’t mentioned it while he’d spoken with him over Skype whilst he was out in Syria.  </p>
<p>“A Miller, please, and no I was born in Iraq but raised in Turkey. Oh and call me Naz, by the way. Everyone else does,” she replied, Mitch dolling out beer bottles and a soda for Sy while nodding, waving his finger in recognition.  </p>
<p>“That’s it! You sound like Amir, my barber! He’s from Turkey originally, born and raised in Antalya and came over here when he was thirteen,” he commented with a smile, Naz nodding with interest.</p>
<p>“So, is Iraq scary?” Lauren, who at twenty was Sy’s youngest sister, then asked.  </p>
<p>“I don’t remember much as I was only six when we moved, but I never remembered being scared. Of course, all that changed because of Saddam, who I unfortunately share a surname with,” she replied, Lauren wide eyed.</p>
<p>“Does that mean you’re related?” she shouted.</p>
<p>“Lauren!” Sy warned, knowing how thoughtless his sister could be before opening her mouth.  </p>
<p>“Don’t shout at her, it’s alright,” Naz told him calmly, stroking his arm. “Hussein is a very common surname, so no, gladly that wicked man was absolutely no relation to me.” She then continued.  </p>
<p>“How on earth did you manage to get a job for the CIA when you’re not from here, then?” Judy, Sy’s mom put to her, sounding a little flat and disbelieving in tone, almost like she thought it wasn’t the truth.  </p>
<p>“Oh, I’m an American citizen now, Mrs Syverson. I took my citizenship six years ago,” Naz informed her politely.  </p>
<p>“Hmm, I see. Can I move all of you outside or into the lounge or something, so I can finish making the lunch?” Sy wasn’t exactly sure what his mom’s problem was, but there was a definite air of hostility around her at that moment.  </p>
<p>He then remembered that of course, his mom did like advance warning if he brought anyone home and she’d prepared food, but this was swiftly followed by the fact that just like Naz’s mom, she almost always overcooked. He tried not to let it irritate him, taking Naz’s hand as they walked outside and his dad enthusiastically asked to hear more about her work.  </p>
<p>“I guess the next pressing question is why you both felt the need to get married so quickly, without any family or friends there either. I mean, we didn’t even know of her at all!” Judy asked after sitting silently for a while after joining them. Perhaps that was it, she was upset she hadn’t been invited to their wedding.  </p>
<p>“Yeah, but that’s just James, mom. You know he’s never all that chatty about who he’s dating,” Cameron interjected with a shrug, echoing his father’s earlier thoughts.</p>
<p>“We did it just for us, mom, we didn’t want it to be something big or overblown. It was marrying each other that was important, not the actual wedding itself. We’re planning on having an actual wedding at some point in the future, though, for family and friends and so you guys and Naz’s family can meet.  </p>
<p>“As for why so quickly, well, why not? We’re in love with each other, personally I’ve never felt as strongly for anyone else as I do for her either, so we just did what we felt was right. We’re very happy too,” he explained, shrugging.  </p>
<p>His siblings all sat a little wide eyed, never hearing him speak like that before, his dad beaming happily. Mitch was very much an old school romantic and thought – now he was over the initial shock - that what his son had done was terrific.  </p>
<p>“Well, I am thrilled for you both. Very much so. Welcome to the family, Naz. I sure will enjoy getting to know you better,” he spoke, looking towards his wife and giving her a ‘well, say something’ look.</p>
<p>“I’m going to check on the chicken.” It would have been very accurate to assess that Judy Syverson definitely wasn’t as thrilled as her husband, something that became astoundingly clear after remaining in stony faced silence throughout the lunch.  </p>
<p>It was confirmed when after they’d eaten, Naz went to use the downstairs bathroom just off the utility room next to the kitchen, overhearing Mitch questioning her sour attitude within. She hovered just behind the bathroom door, able to hear everything.  </p>
<p>“You’re making the poor kid feel uncomfortable,” Mitch told her, Judy clattering around as she loaded pans and plates into the dishwasher.  </p>
<p>“Well, I’m sorry about that, but I just don’t like it! It isn’t right!” she stated vehemently.  </p>
<p>“What isn’t right? He knows his own mind, Jude. He’s thirty-five, plenty capable at his age to decide what’s right for him. She’s a lovely girl, too! Bright and smart, pretty, charming, what’s not to like?” he asked, astounded over why she was insisting on being so difficult.  </p>
<p>“She’s Iraqi! We were at war with those people!” Her spat statement over the reason why she didn’t like her made Naz’s heart sink. She’d faced racial persecution in her life since living in the USA, of course she had after the climate left behind by the war, but she didn’t expect it there. Sy had made absolutely no mention of his mother having xenophobic opinions before.  </p>
<p>“Oh, we were at war with Naz personally, huh? What, when she was twelve fucking years old, as she was when the war broke out? After she and her family had been living in Turkey for six years by that point? Have you been listening to her at all? What, are you honestly suspicious of her?” he challenged, reminding her very much of Sy when he lost his temper. So far, she could see he was definitely more like his father.  </p>
<p>“Well, we don’t know, do we?” Judy bustled; cutlery being slammed into the basket as the dishwasher took the brunt of her hostility.  </p>
<p>“She works for the damn CIA! You can’t honestly say you have legitimate suspicions over her, can you? What, you honestly think if there was anything nefarious about her that James wouldn’t have sniffed it out a mile away? It’s just one of the many things he’s trained to do, you know, Jude!” he shouted, laughing at the ludicrousness of her assumptions.  </p>
<p>“He shouldn’t be with her. He should stick to his own kind. I mean come on, what about our grandkids! They’ll be, you know,” she trailed off, Naz covering her mouth with her hand as tears prickled her eyes.  </p>
<p>“No, I don’t know other than the eventual apples of my eye,” Mitch said, his words warming her heart. “What will they be?”</p>
<p>“They’ll be mixed.” That was all Naz could bear to hear, closing the door softly to use the toilet and have a little cry, drying her eyes carefully so she could hide her tears before heading back out to sit down.  </p>
<p>“Hey, what’s wrong?” Sy asked her discreetly, Naz thanking Cameron for the fresh beer he passed her from the cooler before turning back to him.  </p>
<p>“Nothing, I’m fine.” She should have known trying to fool him was pointless.  </p>
<p>“You’re not. What’s up?” Wrapping his arm around her and kissing her head, Naz felt soothed by his affection after hearing the horrible, racist opinion his mother harboured over their future children. She honestly couldn’t believe it, that in 2018 people could still be so small minded.  </p>
<p>She was just about to suggest they took a walk when his parents arrived back at the table, bringing an impressive looking pie for dessert. Naz politely refused, not able to sit at the same table with Judy, not after what she’d heard, or having to witness the way she purposefully wouldn’t look at her either.  </p>
<p>“Can you excuse me, please? I need a minute.” Getting up, she squeezed Sy’s arm and walked away, heading down to slip under the rail and walk out onto the track that she found lead to more paddocks and a huge stable block.  </p>
<p>Meanwhile, back at the table Mitch sat and felt awful, realising that of course, Naz looking so upset meant she must have been the person who came in to use the bathroom, thus overhearing Judy’s remarks.  </p>
<p>“I’m going after her,” Sy said, making a start to get up.  </p>
<p>“No, no. I’ll go. I have a feeling I know what this is over.” Mitch insisted, abandoning his desert and heading in the direction Naz had walked, finding her leaning over a rail, patting the neck of Mya, a liver chestnut coloured mare currently heavily in foal.  </p>
<p>“You’re so pretty, yes you are, such a lovely girl,” Naz cooed, Mya happy to be receiving the attention as she sniffed Naz’s hair, enjoying having a new friend visit her.  </p>
<p>“She’s my pride and joy. Mya has produced some of my best horses. See that stallion the same colour as her over in the paddock yonder? That’s Rocky, one of her foals. He was so perfect I kept him to breed from, couldn’t part with a horse that damned beautiful no matter what nice price I could have gotten from him,” he told her, Naz shielding her eyes from the sun to see a very majestic looking stallion grazing peacefully five paddocks over.  </p>
<p>“I’m sure you could get a lot more money from him in the long run from his foals, so hanging onto him makes good sense,” she replied, Mitch nodding.</p>
<p>“You’re absolutely right. He’s shown well in-hand, won many a blue ribbon. He might only be three but he’s been very profitable so far. I’d take you up to meet him, but I can smell you’re wearing perfume, and you can’t be scented around a stallion. Gets ‘em all excited,” he commented.  </p>
<p>“Your son is similar,” she said without thinking. “Sorry, was that TMI?” she then asked, glad when Mitch began to laugh hard.  </p>
<p>“No! That was funny, very funny,” he replied, holding a hand to his chest as he continued to laugh. “It’s good to see you smile too, because I know why you’d begun to look sad back there. You heard Judy’s remarks. I worked it out, didn’t take a genius you were the one who came in to use the bathroom while I was trying to get to the bottom of her ire.”  </p>
<p>“Yes, yes I did,” she replied, her tone sombre once more, feeling comforted by Mya resting her head against her as she tickled the soft fur under her eyes.  </p>
<p>“I don’t really know how to respond to that, I truly don’t. My wife, I’ve never known her to hold racist opinions before, believe me that’s the truth. Two of her closest friends from high school are both Mexican, so I just cannot see why she’d have a problem with James being with a woman who isn’t white. I suspect there’s more to it than meets the eye,” he explained.  </p>
<p>After joining them out of concern for his wife and hearing exactly what she’d overheard, Sy was of the same opinion as his dad too.  </p>
<p>“I mean, she could be prejudiced a little, although it doesn’t make sense when you see how much she loves Gloria and Esmeralda, and their children, all of whom are mixed race since Hank and David are both white,” Sy began, referring to his mom’s best friends and their husbands. “I think it has more to do with one fact, darlin’. You ain’t Heather, and it doesn’t matter what ethnicity you might be. If you were white, she’d still find a way to dismiss you somehow.”</p>
<p>“Be that as it may, it doesn’t make her opinion over our future children any easier to swallow,” she commented, Sy nodding.  </p>
<p>“None of what she said is right, baby. Look, Im’a leave you with dad and go talk to her. She can’t just spit shit like that and face no consequences for it.” Giving her a kiss, he turned to head back to the house, Mitch offering to give her a tour of the stables which she gladly accepted. Anywhere as long as Sy’s mom wasn’t present was a good place to be for Naz at that moment.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="post-content">
  <p>“Mom, can we sit down and talk?” Sy asked, finding her alone in the kitchen, covering up the remainder of the pie in saran wrap. Turning to view her eldest son, she could tell he wasn’t impressed. ‘That fucking girl, eavesdropping on my conversations and then running to him to spill!’ she thought, not impressed that he obviously knew what she’d said.</p>
  <p>“Naz overheard you. You really, really upset her. Me too, to be honest. Coming from a woman who has never, not once in her damn life shown any kind of racist tendencies, what you said was abhorrent. I mean come on, mom. My first girlfriend had a black father, you remember Tia. You adored her,” he spoke after they’d sat down.</p>
  <p>“Tia was American,” she replied, folding her arms. “That girl you’ve married, she isn’t one of us!”</p>
  <p>“She’s an American citizen, mom,” Sy reminded her, running a hand over his head and trying to keep his temper. He might have been furious with her, but she was still his mama. He’d never blow up at her as furiously as perhaps he could, or maybe as she deserved.</p>
  <p>“You know very well what I mean. We were at war with those people,” she protested, Sy rolling his eyes.</p>
  <p>“She was living in Turkey by the time the Iraqi war began! Come on, admit it. This ain’t got anything to do with Naz’s ethnicity, or at least I really hope it hasn’t. This is about Heather,” he put to her, Judy beginning to nod rapidly.</p>
  <p>“She’s my daughter in law!”</p>
  <p>“No, mom. She ceased being your daughter in law four years ago next month, when our divorce was finalised. Your daughter in law is the girl who you offended by making it about her race. I mean, do you honestly think that? When Naz and I have kids – because believe me, in a few years that’s very much on the cards – are you seriously going to reject your grandbabies because they’ll be mixed race?” he asked her, needing a straight answer out of her.</p>
  <p>“Look, she just isn’t what I expected, this whole thing, it isn’t what I wanted for you. And no, I guess I couldn’t. I’m sorry I said that. It was wrong of me,” she began, Sy cutting in.</p>
  <p>“I know, you wanted Heather and I to stay together. It didn’t work, I’ve moved on and remarried, so you need to accept that or don’t. Either way, rejecting Naz because she’s Iraqi, or because she isn’t Heather, whichever it is, is ridiculous. You’re not that person. You have to let go of Heather at some point.” Immediately, Judy looked aghast by such a request.</p>
  <p>“I can’t just cut her out of my life, James. We’re close, I love her to death and I refuse to just throw her aside. She wants you back, you know. She’s been thinking about adoption, she told me as much,” she revealed, Sy shaking his head, completely emotionally unstirred by such news.</p>
  <p>“It’s four years too late for that. I’ve moved on, I’m married to someone else and she’ll just have to accept that too,” he stated firmly.</p>
  <p>“Can you honestly tell me, if you hadn’t met that Nazadine girl,” she began.</p>
  <p>“Nazanin,” he corrected, pissed off that she couldn’t even get her name right.</p>
  <p>“Whatever her damn name is. If you hadn’t met her that you wouldn’t be open to a reconciliation with Heather? You two, you were so happy together.” He felt his temper rising at hearing this, how his mother was so willing to live in the past and attempt to drag him right back there with her. He wouldn’t have it.</p>
  <p>“Happy until we weren’t, mom. Until every day was a goddamn battle with her. I fight wars for a job, I don’t need it in my home life too. Heather and I are history and you really do need to stop fighting it and accept that. Naz is my wife, at least try and get to know her,” he explained, hoping to get through to her.</p>
  <p>“I don’t want to.” Judy got up and left the kitchen at that point, no longer caring to hear anything else her son might’ve added. He knew how close she and his ex were, but he had no idea that the relationship still stood just as firmly now they were divorced, or that they still saw one another.</p>
  <p>He also knew his mother was no racist, but he couldn’t discount her words. Hearing that she was averse to the eventual arrival of mixed-race children – his children – was heartbreaking to hear.</p>
  <p>It didn’t matter that she’d apologised, it didn’t matter the true root of her instant dislike of Naz was the fact she wasn’t Heather opposed to where she was born, she’d still said it. Sy couldn’t help but think on some small level that maybe she did mean it.</p>
  <p>“Give her time, big guy. Sorry I overheard, but you and mom are loud when you argue. You’re right, though. It isn’t about Naz or where she originally comes from. She just doesn’t wanna let go of Heather,” Stephanie told him, coming in from the other room where she’d been hovering, ready to jump in if the heated discussion escalated. She was very much the peacemaker of the family.</p>
  <p>“After what she said, she can have all the damn time she likes. I’m seriously fucking unimpressed with her, Steph,” he said angrily, his sister giving him a hug.</p>
  <p>“Well, if it counts for anything, I think Naz is great.” He smiled at that, feeling his temper deflate at Steph’s words and kind smile, heading outside again to go and find his beloved.</p>
  <p>He grabbed a beer, heading back down to the stables while swigging it and attempting to calm down, the sight he saw when he got there working in helping his bad mood evaporate almost instantly.</p>
  <p>“Sy, look! Oh my god, this is so cool!” Naz called to him, sitting atop Blaze, one of Mitch’s mares while he led her around the exercise arena, her first time ever sitting on a horse. The old mare happily walked around, Naz’s legs prickled on her soft fur since Mitch had forgone using a saddle, moving away and standing to observe while Naz panicked a little bit.</p>
  <p>“That’s it, just keep circling her around me. Don’t panic, she’s twenty-seven now, so ole’ Blaze doesn’t move fast any longer. Yep, just squeeze your left rein and press your heels into her sides,” he told her, laughing when her flip flops fell off before going to retrieve them.</p>
  <p>“We’re the same age, Blaze!” Naz told her, scratching her black fur with her nails, wobbling a little before sitting up and sticking her heels down, as Mitch had instructed her.</p>
  <p>“So, did you talk with your mom?” he asked Sy, coming to stand at the rail with him.</p>
  <p>“I did. We were right, it’s because of Heather. She apologised for the mixed-race grandchildren comment, but I can’t discount it, dad. She said it, after all. There must be a little part of her that believes it and for that, I’m really not happy with her at all,” he sighed, picking the label on his beer bottle as he winked at Naz when she rode past him.</p>
  <p>“I think it’s a comment she’ll very much live to regret eventually. Look, I make no apologies for her, but she’s just stunned by it, you know how she is. You and me, we’re the type who go with the flow, but then you likely knew that I’d handle the news of you marrying the woman you’ve only been with for five months a hell of a lot better than she was ever going to,” Mitch said, Sy nodding. He and his dad were cut from the same cloth.</p>
  <p>“I know it was quick, but it’s right, though. She’s right. She’s absolutely perfect for me. I didn’t get the chance to tell you either, with everything that went down. I could be in for a career change. The CIA are interested in me,” he revealed, Mitch wide eyed with pride.</p>
  <p>“Son!” he began, opening his arms and giving him a big hug, slapping his back in the way that almost always made Sy feel a bit winded. “This is huge news! Tell me about it, then!”</p>
  <p>He did, explaining everything that had happened and how he had more or less been offered the position pending a meet at the headquarters. His leaving the military would be an expedited process, given the circumstances, although he admitted to the fact that the thought still left him a little nervous.</p>
  <p>“I love it, even though I realise working within the CIA would be the better option for me, it still leaves me with a slight sense of dread, walking away from the last sixteen years of my life,” he confided in his dad.</p>
  <p>“Of course it will, it’s practically all you’ve known, joining up fresh from college. You just need to settle into the idea a little more and you’ll be fine. What did we just discuss, after all, about how we males of the Syverson family are infinitely better at going with the flow?” Mitch reminded him, Sy smiling and swigging his beer.</p>
  <p>It was awkward, but also maybe for the best that Judy hid herself away for the remainder of their visit, Naz getting the chance to get to know her new family without the woman who had upset her so much being right there. Sy did hope she might emerge by the time they left with something resembling a proper apology towards his wife, but it was sadly wishful thinking.</p>
  <p>They arrived back home at just gone midnight, Naz sighing as she sat down on the couch before suddenly bursting into tears.</p>
  <p>“I don’t want to drive a wedge between you and your mom and that’s exactly what I’ve done. I feel so bad,” she cried, Sy sitting down next to her and pulling her into his arms. He’d been waiting for this, since Naz did have a terrible fear of upsetting people and could often shoulder blame in a situation that wasn’t her fault.</p>
  <p>“That wedge exists because of how she’s set her mind, baby. It isn’t because of you. All we can do is give her time, let her cool off and then hope she’ll be forthcoming with a proper apology after making such hurtful remarks towards you.</p>
  <p>“She just needs to get used to the idea and realise she has to back off from her relationship with Heather too. That’s something I didn’t reveal at the time, that she told me earlier. Heather is still in her life, so I’ve learned.</p>
  <p>“She must’ve moved back to Eastland after the divorce. Apparently, she told mom she wants me back and has reconsidered her stance on adoption. I don’t know who the fuck is more deluded out of the pair of ‘em!” he spoke, holding Naz tighter. “There’s only one woman I want babies with and that’s this stunning looking one right here who I’m damned lucky to be married to.”</p>
  <p>Drying her eyes, Naz smiled and kissed him, glad it was just the two of them once more. After the day she’d had, her husband’s arms were the only place she wanted to be in.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, what did they say?” Sy asked as Naz came out to find him in the back yard, barbecuing brisket for their dinner. She’d just been chatting via Skype to her mom and dad, finally letting them know the news.</p><p>“They didn’t expect it to happen quite so quickly, but were thrilled, and you didn’t mention you’d asked my dad’s permission first! I said I’d call later on too with you there as well when you’re not barbecue fiddling, so they can talk to you as well,” she replied, touched that he’d been so proper. It had meant everything to her father, to have his daughter’s new boyfriend ask him for her hand in marriage.</p><p>“Of course I did. I have a lot of respect for your dad, he’s a great guy. I miss them, you know. It’s crazy because I only met them one time, but they’re fantastic people. And yeah, that’d be great! I look forward to it now I’ve got the damn vent on this thing sorted out and I’m not about to blow up the backyard,” he told her, Naz glowing to hear such words about her precious family.</p><p>To have her family so pleased for them made the fact they hadn’t heard from his mom yet slightly more bearable. It was their last night in Texas, their flight to Virginia leaving at lunchtime the following day, where Sy would stay with Naz for a month before he had to decide on his plan going forward, career wise.</p><p>“They said they can’t wait to see you again. They mentioned that they might come out for Christmas, Maryam and Amira too. We’ll see nearer the time, though,” she commented, wrapping her arms around him as he closed the barbecue again, the smell of well-seasoned meat drifting through the air heavily.</p><p>“Yeah, that sounds great. It’d be even better if we could get the entire family together, providing my mother has pulled her head out of her ass by then,” he sighed, Naz hoisting herself up to sit on the solid oak barbecue table, stroking his arms and pulling him into a kiss. She knew how angry it had left him, the whole situation with his mom.</p><p>She still hated that she’d been the one to come between them, but also it made her heart soar, how he took her side and absolutely refused to budge an inch toward his mother until they received the apology he was adamant they were owed.  </p><p>“Give her time, she’ll get in touch when she finally sees that she hasn’t handled this correctly,” she reassured him with, not knowing whether such would happen or not, but wanting to provide something to stop him frowning quite so heavily. When those words didn’t work, she chose a different track.</p><p>“How long until the food is ready?” She asked.</p><p>“About fifteen minutes. Why?” He got his answer when she let her dress straps slide down, revealing she wasn’t wearing a bra beneath.</p><p>“Mmmm, that’s more than enough time to get exactly what I’m craving right now.” She murmured, kissing his neck as one of her hands slid down to grasp his dick through his pants, moaning faintly, her tongue flickering over where his pulse quickened.</p><p>She kissed him hungrily, noting that he tasted like bourbon as he enveloped her in his arms, groaning into her mouth when she squeezed him again, lying her back on the table and greedily sucking her nipples, his fingers impatiently pushing into her underwear.</p><p>Her pussy throbbed with want, his fingers invading her as he bit her nipple, Naz gasping as his teeth crushed the small, dark bud, sucking it with a groan before his mouth was back on hers, his fingers exploring her deeply.</p><p>She sat up again, Sy attempting to push her down once more, a move prevented as she hung onto his shirt and gently bit the side of his neck, the buttons coming undone in her fingers before she wrestled with his belt, freeing his hardened cock.</p><p>He inhaled sharply as her thumb began to glide across the tip, smearing pre-cum around, his fingers curling within her as a gritted groan left his mouth, her nails grazing over his scalp as her skilled hand squeezed him with the kind of finesse that left him breathless, her thumb still sliding back and forth.</p><p>“Fuck me.” She breathed, kissing him again as he dragged her to the very edge of the table, pushing his jeans and boxers down his legs before sliding into her urgently, gratifying her demand in an instant, hooking one of her legs over the bend in his arm as he filled her completely.</p><p>He began to bury himself within her keenly, his thick, pulsing cock trawling her walls, Naz jutting her hips forward against him as she clutched the edge of the table, his slow, deep thrusts putting air between the surface and her as she wrapped her other arm around his neck, nails flexing beneath his shirt.</p><p>Soft mewls left her mouth as each thrust pushed a breath from her lungs, consumed as ever by the sheer size and power of him. A guttural string of curses left his mouth as he nibbled her neck, big hands pawing at her thighs, his other arm hooking under the leg around him eventually, mirroring the other, Naz hanging onto him as he began to thrust more wildly within her.</p><p>He coaxed uncontained moans from her the harder and faster he moved, splitting her around him as her cunt flowed and opened for him like a flower, all dew gilded petals, so soft and pretty in contrast to him; hard, manly and unyielding as he fucked her voraciously.</p><p>Climactic fury swelled and broke free over them both, their session too frenzied and hurried to withstand a chance of lasting any longer than it did. It achieved what Naz aimed for though, which was to have her husband smile at her as he caught his breath.</p><p>He knew she wanted to take his mind off everything, knowing of course he wasn’t in the best mental headspace where his mother was concerned. Even though her efforts didn’t go unnoticed, helping him with tasks in the back yard, playfully wetting him with the hosepipe which lead to him chasing and drenching her with it and helping him work on his trucks in the early evening before dinner, he still couldn’t quite forget it all.</p><p>It bothered him to have something nagging at the back of his mind. Sy was nothing if not an extremely pragmatic man. He rarely worried or let things make him anxious, he had enough that could keep him awake at night as it was, memories of war which haunted him. He hoped that leaving for Virginia might help him not lie there awake while Naz slept soundly next to him.</p><p>He hated it, feeling so happy with life but having that dark shadow hanging over him. The only thing that really made the situation any better was hearing from his other family members over how much they loved his new wife, his dad especially. Also, there was the reaction he received from his regiment after he and Naz met up with them a few nights prior to their departure.</p><p>Quite a few of the guys already knew something was doing on between them, Private Greg Watson bravely commenting ‘You don’t bang nearly as quietly as you think you do, sir’ to him, Sy laughing much to the young soldier’s relief. Calvin was thrilled for him too, the only dampener in his best friend’s opinion being that he didn’t get to throw him a bachelor party.</p><p>Overall, he felt a lot better about everything upon leaving Texas, although of course the quarrel with his mother still niggled at him. Instead, he attempted to focus on all that was good, like spending more time with his lovely new wife and meeting her friends for the first time.</p><p>“So who’s who?” Sy asked after they’d arrived at Naz’s apartment and got settled, unpacking, relaxing and ordering in from an Italian restaurant Naz favoured.</p><p>“That blonde there is Leanne, that one there is Leah and the redhead is Kate,” she replied, pointing out here three closest friends in the picture he held. “They’re absolutely dying to meet you, too.”</p><p>“Let’s hope they react better to the fact we got married than my mom did,” he sniffed, putting the picture down.</p><p>“Hey, come on,” she began softly, pulling his head down to her level and kissing the frown lines crinkling his forehead. “She’s one person. A very important one, this much is true, but still, just one person. Everyone else has reacted incredibly well. I suppose what I’m saying is that it could be a lot worse. It could be us against the world.”</p><p>“I guess you’re right. I’m just damn pissed off, still. Anyway, how do you feel about it all now? You’re the person she insulted, after all,” he replied, wrapping her in a hug.</p><p>“I’d prefer she didn’t feel the way she did and at least give me a chance, but I can’t force the woman to like me if she doesn’t want to. Time might change her mind, but whatever her opinion, I’m not going anywhere. I love you, habibi,” she told him, stroking his face and kissing him.</p><p>“I love you too, baby doll.” He was still a little quiet at times between then and Saturday, the day he was meeting who she referred to as her chosen family, her best girlfriends, but by the day itself he seemed to have pulled himself out of his funk a little.</p><p>Naz went to meet them for coffee and lunch early in the afternoon, arranging to meet Sy a little later on since the Dallas Cowboys were playing and he wanted to find a suitable dive bar to go and watch it in. He located one that was screening the match and happily left his wife to go and have some girl time.</p><p>“Y’all only be wanting to chatter about me anyway, as you ladies do, so I might as well make myself scarce while you tell them all about my junk,” he told her outside of the bar he was about to enter, Naz laughing loudly.</p><p>“Have a great time, message me when you’re done and I’ll send you the address of the bar we’ll be in.” She received a big kiss before heading off, getting an Uber to meet her girlfriends at a restaurant ten minutes across town.</p><p>“Nazzie!” Leanne screamed, making all the other diners turn and stare as she raced out of her seat, Leah and Kate following, all three screaming as they saw Naz enter and piling on to hug her happily. They hugged in a group before she gave them all individual cuddles, happy tears shed at being reunited again before they all sat down and ordered drinks.</p><p>“So, where’s the big dude you told us you were bringing home with you?” Leanne asked expectantly, Naz deciding to just drop the bombshell.</p><p>“Oh, my husband is watching the football. He’ll be along later after the game,” she replied, all three taking a second before suddenly, eyes widened, mouths dropped and hands began to flap excitedly.</p><p>“Your what?” Leanne shouted.</p><p>“You got married?” Leah added.</p><p>“When? Oh my god!” Kate finished with, Naz only able to give the briefest of explanations before she was set upon by three squealing women, demanding to see her ring, all gushing when she showed them the picture the registrar had taken and generally, being just as happy and excited as she was. As far as welcomes home went, theirs was truly wonderful.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the many shocked exclamations were over, surprise nuptials toasted and the table calmed down again enough to order food, Naz was grilled about everything.</p>
<p>“So, we know you two got together out in Syria and then he went with you back to Turkey to see mom and pop, but what from there?” Kate asked, her mouth still dangling in exclamation.</p>
<p>“From there we were supposed to be going straight to Texas, but I found out at the last minute he’d booked us a week of vacation in Vermont, which as you know is somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. Oh, it was so beautiful. The hotel was bordered between a forest and a lake, it was so quiet and peaceful.</p>
<p>“He proposed at the side of that lake the first night we were there, with both of us deciding the following morning that we wanted to get married as soon as possible, while we were there. Please, don’t be offended that we didn’t tell anyone or invite you and everyone else, we just wanted it to be about us,” she began, her girlfriends all falling over themselves to reassure her that they weren’t mad about her decision not to include them at all.</p>
<p>“Well, we didn’t expect it to happen as soon as it did, hence why we were both dressed so casually in the pictures. After we’d applied for a marriage license, we came back to the hotel where there was meant to be a wedding taking place, only to find out that the bride had jilted the groom! As it turns out, it was to our advantage, the registrar offering to marry us right there and then, so that’s what we did.”</p>
<p>Her friends all looked suitably gooey eyed, even more so when Naz showed them the pictures that a kindly stranger had taken of them as they danced under the lantern lit trees later that evening, a photographer who had told them they were too photogenic not to capture and asked if they minded her using some for her portfolio.</p>
<p>“Naz, I swear. He is so gorgeous, and huge!” Leanne enthused, Naz raising her eyebrows.</p>
<p>“A fitting description,” she replied naughtily, her friends going wild.</p>
<p>“Yes, lady! We need the deets! How is he in bed? You never shared this when you were with Ben!” Leah then added, all of them shuffling closer, Naz laughing hard at the eager looks upon their faces.</p>
<p>“Well, huge is the operative word,” she began, high fiving Kate as they all squealed quietly. “As for how he is, absolutely incredible. I swear, he’s some kind of god. I have never, ever cum so much or so hard in all of my life! Remember I told you Ben hated going down on women and flatly refused? Sy is the total opposite. He spent an hour down there once, just to prove he could,” she revealed, Leah visibly clenching her legs together, her jaw dropping.</p>
<p>“An<em> hour</em>? Girl, could you even feel anything afterwards? Could he? Can the poor man speak or does he have perpetual lock jaw?” she exclaimed, Naz laughing hard along with Leanne and Kate. “Okay, so moving on. Tell us what he’s like, then! The good, the bad and the ugly. You need to share with the group!” She then added, wide eyed and expectant.</p>
<p>“He’s a lovely guy, quite quiet at first but he’ll open up a little after a while, and then you’ll get a louder, more raucous version of Sy. He likes to observe situations before he inputs too much, get the measure of people. He’s very tactile like that, it comes from him being in the military. He’s just awesome, he’s really funny and he’ll banter you into the ground. He’s definitely more of a listener as well, he’s very good to talk to.</p>
<p>“That was the good, as for the bad, he can be short tempered but he’s seldom been like that with me, but boy, is he a fucking grump when he wants to be! For instance, I took him to get his beard trimmed properly in Turkey, but they did the full works, steamed his face and everything and he hated it.</p>
<p>“He came out and shouted ‘he fucking put moisturiser on me!’ like it was the worst thing in the world. Never, ever get him to try a cocktail, either. He will glare at you like you’re trying to make him imbibe acid. He has two alcoholic drinks he doesn’t deviate from, beer and bourbon.</p>
<p>“He’s also amazing at what he does, I am such a proud wife to be able to call a man like him my husband. He led the team who captured the core members of Zilal Aldam. He’s looking at decoration for that, should he stay within the military,” she explained at length, her friends nodding with interest.</p>
<p>“Why, might he be leaving?” Kate asked.</p>
<p>“If all goes well, then yes. The CIA are interested in him, so this means I might be spared the hellish existence being a military wife and missing him constantly, since it’s my team the job is within so we’d be travelling together for the most part.” Naz smiled again as she thought how wonderfully everything had slotted together for them.</p>
<p>She and her friends had a great afternoon together, Sy joining them later at the bar a very happy man since the Cowboys had won by a mile. He greeted them all warmly, Naz making him very happy by immediately sliding a cold glass of beer towards him she’d bought before he arrived, the three women cooing quietly when he took her hand and kissed it in thanks.</p>
<p>“You alone at a table with four beautiful women. I bet this was a regular night for you when you were home and single, huh?” Leah asked, catching an ice cube between her back teeth and crunching it.</p>
<p>“A slow one, yeah,” he joked, making the women all laugh. As Naz had mentioned, he was a little quiet to begin with, preferring to hear them speak about themselves first before he told them anything about himself. He became chattier after a few beers, though, he and Naz sharing stories from Syria about how they’d kept themselves entertained and sane while not working.</p>
<p>“How about when we punked Calvin with the dead scorpion,” Sy began, tipping his head back and laughing loudly at the memory. “My boy hates insects of any kind, I mean as in he has a legitimate phobia. The amount of times he’s bolted from camel spiders and the like is insane, but this one night when we were all off duty, Naz found a dead scorpion in the kitchen, so my superior Tom and I had the idea to go scare the shit out of Calvin.</p>
<p>“We waited until he hit the showers and then hid it in his clothes and when he came out, the dude dropped his towel in fright and ran, out into the desert, pecker flapping in the damn breeze while screaming at the top of his voice.</p>
<p>“I had to tell the guys in the watchtowers to hold their fire, Naz and Tom are literally rolling on the floor crying laughing and there’s Calvin, still running and screaming, with all my boys up in the guard towers whistling at him. Then, right on cue, this group of young fellas who we saw every few days came through, herding their goats back down to the nearest village, all stopping and pointing at the crazy, naked American guy who was still screaming and running,” he recounted, the girls all laughing.</p>
<p>“Then there was the time Tom got in bed with you,” Naz added, laughing loudly when she saw the look on his face.</p>
<p>“I thought it was her for like a split second,” he began, pointing at his wife. “I was asleep face down and someone came and sat astride me and started bouncing, so my half asleep brain is like ‘oh it’s Naz, she’s crept in for some morning sex’, when all of a sudden, Tom hollers ‘you get the fuck out of bed right now, you sexy, grizzly bear man!’ I turn to look at him, and he’s wearing Liz’s bra over the top of his t shirt,” he replied, Naz unable to breathe as she remembered it.</p>
<p>“Liz is so much fun when she’s not working. She was sitting in the control room once, using wax strips on her legs and complaining how much it hurt, so Sy pipes up that there’s no way in hell it hurt that much. Liz told him to roll up his pants leg, he duly did and then she stuck on a strip and ripped. He complained less when he got shot!” Everyone laughed heartily, bar Sy, giving Naz his famous pissed off side eye before he finally began to smile.</p>
<p>Throughout that evening, she noted that it was the first time since arriving home that she’d experienced him returning more to his usual self. It was nice to witness, him not having moments of looking like he was mentally wrestling with the opinions of his mother and instead, enjoying the company of her friends, who he seemed to like very much.</p>
<p>“Come on, Sy! Come dance. Naz is fucking boring and always refuses!” Leanne asked as he stood at the bar in the second venue they arrived at, shaking his head firmly.</p>
<p>“Honey, there’s only one place I have good rhythm and it ain’t on the dance floor,” he replied, watching her pull an expressive face in exclamation at his implication before leaving them to it. “I like her, she’s fun. They all are. I never thought I’d meet a woman who could drink more bourbon than me and still walk, but I have. Her name is Leah.” He then told Naz, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her hair as she beamed.</p>
<p>“So, do you think you’re going to like it here, if all goes to plan?” she asked, watching him nod.</p>
<p>“I do, but then again I like it anywhere where you are, baby doll.” Naz couldn’t have been any happier than she was in that moment. Until she arrived home four hours later with a slightly drunk and very horny husband herding her in the direction of the bedroom.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You mean to tell me we’ve been out all this time and you’ve been hiding that sexy fucking underwear from me?” Sy growled, after Naz had pushed him down into the chair in the corner of her room and stripped off. He did have a certain fondness for the raspberry red lace set she was wearing.</p><p>“Well, I’m not the kind of girl to flash her undies in public. What I have on beneath is always for your eyes only, habibi,” she told him, moving to sit astride his strong legs and slowly stroke her hands in a seductive glide down his chest.  </p><p>“You could have given me a discreet little flash.” He joked, unclipping her bra and leaning forward, his arms wrapping around her and mouth descending from her newly exposed cleavage. Naz was just about to make a witty remark in reply, yet the feeling of his tongue moving in a decreasing circle around her breast, sucking her nipple when his mouth arrived there, left her short of breath.</p><p>The heat of his body against hers warmed her soft flesh, like the morning sun warming a ripened peach, perfect to bite onto, as he duly did, her other nipple crushed hungrily between his teeth.</p><p>While he decorated her chest with kisses, she reached up to unpin her hair, shaking it loose, the fresh shampoo fragrance scenting the air, strong under his nose as his mouth moved to her delicate neck.</p><p>She moaned softly at feeling his fingers skim the edge of her underwear, fingers perusing delicate lace, a single digit slipping within to skim across her slit. The pad of his fingertip delved a little further, a quivered breath fluttering her neck when he felt sumptuous wetness there waiting for him.</p><p>Picking her up, he stood with her in his arms, seating her at the foot of the bed, kneeling in front of her to pull the raspberry lace from her body, kissing his way down her thigh until his lips met her apex.</p><p>His tongue darted out, tasting her quickly, mouth moving to furnish her hip with kisses, goose pimples rising, his fingers skimming over them like a blind man would read braille, the message clear. She was aroused as hell, yet he’d barely even touched her.</p><p>“Sy, don’t you dare tease me. I’m all drunk and horny. Don’t be bad!” she croaked pleadingly, biting her lip and looking pained.</p><p>“Now, to be good, or bad? Or maybe a little of both?” he questioned, laughing throatily when she grumbled, licking a slow line up the inside of her thigh. Naz wriggled with anticipation, hoping his libidinous, drunken urges would supersede the urge to tease.</p><p>She was in luck, her body being the deciding factor in him abandoning any desire to misbehave. When his face levelled with her sex, he couldn’t hold back. Her scent drew out his hunger, like a genie emerging from a caressed lamp, his only wish being to devour her ardently.</p><p>Her body jolted at the contact of his tongue, wet and hot against her, burrowing into her slit and licking her, all soft warmth and earthy honey against his tongue. He stroked her with his fingers at the same time as twirling his tongue over her pink folds, using his thumb to pull her clit hood back before bathing the little bud beneath with languid, wet licks.</p><p>Naz shuddered and groaned in bliss, her hands resting either side of his head as hers tipped back, her eyelids fluttering closed as waves of beautiful warmth washed through her. Her arousal floated through her like a cage of butterflies being unleashed, rippling over her body, all instigated by the ardent, heavy licks from his unrelenting tongue.</p><p>He moaned around her cunt, sucking at her hungrily, her slick nectar flooding his mouth while her moans filled the room. Each lick brought forth a more potent burst of pleasure, her nails dragging down his arms, gasping when he pushed two fingers within her pulsing cunt and curled them around, raking at her core with firm, precise strokes.</p><p>“Sy, will you do something for me?” she asked through her ragged pants, climbing up the bed and pulling open her nightstand drawer to root around. “Give me a sparkly butt hole.” She then added, throwing a butt plug with a red gem on the end of it down to him, plus a bottle of lube.</p><p>“I shall, but I can’t help but notice the slight double standard of you being fine with a big ole’ butt plug, but whine and protest at the very thought of my dick going up there,” he asked, arching an eyebrow in a way that made her snort laughing.</p><p>“You’re a bit scary big though,” she replied, biting her lip and looking so cute, it maddened him.</p><p>“I’m just as wide as this,” he told her, a fair point.</p><p>“But about six inches longer! The thought of having a nine inch cock in my ass is a little frightening,” she protested, Sy rolling his eyes.</p><p>“Nobody said anything about all nine of them going in there.” At hearing this, she suddenly smiled quite wickedly, a grin he returned as he raised his eyebrows expectantly.</p><p>“Then I might just be drunk enough to let you, as long as you’re gentle with me,” she revealed, Sy chuckling richly as he went back to languidly running his tongue over her clit.</p><p>“I will be. I know exactly what I’m doing and believe me, you’ll just be mad you didn’t let me do it to you sooner.” He assured her, grabbing the lube bottle and coating his fingers in a generous squeeze before pushing them into her ass.</p><p>She groaned deeply, the pleasure of being opened meeting head on with the surging warmth evoked from his tongue, her body beginning to judder violently. With his fingers sliding and scissoring her tight muscle, tongue flicking and mouth sucking, he had her voicing her orgasm through a series of little cries, an erotic blossoming flowing through her entire body.</p><p>Feeling her open more to him, he took the butt plug and doused it in lube, sliding it in slowly while circling her glistening pussy with his tongue, thrusting it in and feeling her clench on him as the plug slipped in at its widest point, moving it back and forth and drawing moans of carnal hunger from her before letting it settle, the red jewel glinting at him in the dim light provided from the corner lamp.</p><p>Returning his tongue to her clit, he delighted her by sliding his fingers into her wetness, occupying everywhere he could in order to keep her nerve endings tingling, sumptuous waves pulsing through her.</p><p>“Fuck, I need your cock so badly.” She whispered smoulderingly, those words making him harden, the catalyst to pulling himself out of his clothes, pushing her legs back until her knees touched her chest and plunging into her slick core.</p><p>She felt her plush walls thickening around his cock, feeling so full with the plug still occupying her butt too, noting how much better it felt with him than trying to create double penetration with a dildo. Sy knocked any toy into the shade, though.</p><p>His thrusts were immediately unfettered, stretching her around his girth as he leaned to kiss her with ferocious passion, tongues swirling, Naz biting his bottom lip and letting it slowly slide from between her teeth as she growled in absolute ecstasy.</p><p>His mouth moved to her breasts, sucking the dark bud of each nipple deftly as his hands slid under her back, stroking her petal soft skin, her scent heady and intoxicating to him as ever. She was like liquid silk around his cock, her soft heaven gripping him as he utterly ruined her with nothing less than fervidly delivered thrusts, making her wail helplessly as her nails grazed his back.</p><p>He didn’t dare allow himself to become too far gone in the pleasurable enveloping of her snug cunt, retreating and easing the plug out of her ass to push himself within there instead. His hardness might have been slick already, but he used extra lube anyway, hauling her body up to rest atop his thick thighs, leaning to kiss her navel a few times before pushing against her anus.</p><p>She was wide already from the plug, but still he kept slow as he gradually inched his way in, reading her bodily reactions and facial expressions and stopping if she looked or sounded pained, waiting for her to adjust.</p><p>“Oh fuck…oh my god, that’s amazing!” she exclaimed, the sensation absolutely incredible to her as he continued to keep on slipping in. “Okay, I don’t think I can take much more now.” She then hissed, feeling a little uncomfortably full, but still, the pleasure, the tingles. She was in rapture.</p><p>“Well, baby, you’ve got most of me. Fuck, you take a cock so well in your ass, you dirty girl.” He growled, leaning forward to kiss her hungrily, excitement washing over him as he began to slide out slowly once more, gripping her hips as he groaned gutturally.</p><p>It was all encompassing pleasure, entrenched in erotic heat, Sy’s thumb moving to her clit to rub a slow, firm circle, making her mewl softly, a precursor to the most animalistic cry he’d ever heard come from her mouth as he began to speed up the motions of his cock.</p><p>He only thrilled her further by pushing two fingers into her sumptuous heat, her cunt gripping them strongly as he raked her pulsing walls, Naz not able to remember anything feeling better than what her husband was bestowing upon her in that moment.</p><p>Everything became torridly uncontained, both chasing their release until the point of fiery consumption, the ultimate feelings of nirvana rushing through them both, Sy pulling his cock from within her and finishing all over her tits, collapsing at her side, unable to breathe.</p><p>For the last few days before Naz had to go back to work, they enjoyed themselves in their own little bubble within her apartment, before reality came knocking, bringing with it a set of issues they perhaps both should have better equipped themselves to deal with.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh stop it, go away. Go! I can’t, you look so fucking mouth-watering!” Naz exclaimed, making Sy laugh as he checked his appearance in the full length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. It had been years since he wore a suit but he had to admit, he looked damn sharp in the black one with dark navy shirt he’d chosen.</p><p>It was 6am, Sy heading in with Naz that morning for his 8am meeting with the department, actually feeling quite nervous about it, which was an emotion he was greatly unfamiliar with, as such a self-confident man. He took his mind off it for that moment, though.</p><p>“Fuck me, did you spray that skirt on, baby? You come bring that fine ass over here,” he complimented her, wrapping his arms around her waist and dragging her back against him, spanking her butt. She was wearing a light grey pencil skirt that reached her knees, so tight that Sy wondered how she managed to walk in it.</p><p>Adding a pale pink shirt and a pair of stilettoes, she was done, being mauled playfully a little more as she put her earrings in, turning in his arms to kiss him. “Sprayed on or not, you look gorgeous. It’s gonna be weird today, the first day in a long time we won’t be around one another for most of the day.”</p><p>“It shall, you’re right. I’m looking forward to tonight already, hearing how you’ve gotten on. I’ll be between the conference room and my desk for most of the day, so I doubt I’ll even get time to break away and see you. Good luck, habibi. You’ll do just great, though. After all, you’re going in there with the advantage of being the one they head hunted for the job in the first place.” She told him, kissing him a few times before they gathered their belongings and left.</p><p>“Sy! Excellent to see you again, please do take a seat,” Kel greeted him with warmly as Sy entered his office just under two hours later, two other men present behind the large desk who introduced themselves as Victor Sunderland and Donald Fox, the two directors who ultimately he would answer to in his new position, should he choose to accept it.</p><p>“I notice something that wasn’t there the last time we saw one another,” Kel then noted after everyone had taken a seat, gesturing to Sy’s left hand.</p><p>“Ahh, yes. Naz and I got married, so the part on my file that denotes me as divorced needs updating,” he chuckled, Victor and Donald nodding and smiling, Kel offering his hand again.</p><p>“Well, you sure work quickly, but congratulations. You make a nice couple.” Somehow, he and Naz being married seemed to sit a whole lot better with Kel than the idea of them dating had.</p><p>Then again, Sy reasoned that it did occur in the middle of a very serious operation and Kel was on tenterhooks enough as it was back then, without the added worry that a relationship between the commanding Captain and his translator might get in the way of the work.</p><p>The work was exactly what the four men spoke of at length, Sy being brought into the loop over what his position as a Paramilitary Operations Officer (or PMOO) would entail. He sat and listened to the details intently. He learned that his work would of course be a mixture between desk and field, home and away, with his away periods significantly shorter in length than his standard three to four year military tours.</p><p>He would not only oversee intelligence extraction such as the likes of which he’d witnessed Kel and Liz handle, but be an active leader of armed CIA operations both domestically and overseas. This was something he knew already, though, Liz humorously stating to him while they were in Syria that at fifty six, she felt she was getting too old to jump out of helicopters armed with an M-16. She too had been military once upon a time, just like he.</p><p>As he sat and listened, he couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by it all, the importance of the role and everything that it would entail. It was a huge move, with perhaps more personal risk than he currently accepted with his current career as well as the obvious greater weight of responsibility. The three men sitting before him seemed in no doubt he was the man for the job, though.</p><p>After meeting with them, he was taken on a tour of the building with Kel, pleased when he walked past Naz’s desk to be able to give his beautiful wife a discreet wink as she sat on a phone call, the tour continuing through all the relevant departments.</p><p>He was done by just gone midday, being told he had two weeks to consider his options. He got into a cab and headed back to Naz’s apartment, changing into a t shirt and jeans and opening a beer before flopping down on the couch. He didn’t usually drink so early, but in the moment, he felt he needed one.</p><p>It had been creeping up on him for a few hours, the feeling of being in over his head, overwhelmed by the fact his life was changing quite drastically from the one he knew and loved. What were his options, though? He’d fallen in love with and married a woman who lived on the other side of the country. Moving his life to be with her and accept the job on offer to him was part of the deal. Or was it?</p><p>Whenever he thought of leaving his military career behind, his regiment, his guys, everything he’d achieved over the last sixteen years, he felt daunted. It was truly the only life he’d known. Then there was leaving his home, granted he wasn’t there often, but it meant hauling his entire life across the country. Or did it?</p><p>He sat and thought, getting quite tangled in his own head, sinking perhaps a few more beers than he should have, too. He at least managed to order takeout for when Naz would arrive home at 7pm, ready to discuss their future once they’d eaten. Except sensible discussion when he was mentally unravelling, coupled with beer did not always equals an entirely rational Sy.</p><p>“So, I’ve been thinking about it and to be totally honest, I’m just not sure I want the job,” he broached, Naz disposing of the takeout boxes and looking at him like he’s just announced the arrival of aliens.</p><p>“Excuse me? Please, do tell me I’m going slightly deaf and misheard what you just said about not wanting the job? Sy, I overheard them talking, they absolutely loved you, they think you’re perfect. Victor even mentioned offering a few more thousand just to secure you. Do you know how seldom they offer that?” she stated incredulously, Sy nodding.</p><p>“I know, but maybe I’m just not ready to leave the military yet and maybe, as my wife you should understand that,” he then put to her, again, making Naz wonder if she’d misheard. The tone that was coming out of him, she didn’t care for one bit. It was like he was talking to a subordinate, not his wife.</p><p>“But you’ve been looking forward to this for months! I mean, isn’t this one of the reasons why we got married in the first place, because of the fact your job offer meant you’d be here with me full time? Wasn’t that making a commitment?” she asked.</p><p>“I made my commitment to you, baby, not a job,” he shrugged, finishing his beer and opening another, swaying slightly. When she took a look at the recycling box, she realised why. He’d drunk a lot in the time between arriving home and then.</p><p>“Okay, so you’d relocate within the armed forces to the base up here then, is what you’re saying?” She asked. She could live with that. True, she’d hate it when he was away for years at a time, of course she would, but she loved him enough to accept that if his heart lay with being a soldier then she couldn’t force him to change his mind.</p><p>“Or we move to Texas,” he suggested.</p><p>“And what am I supposed to do in Texas, habibi? My job is here,” she stated, feeling a little exasperated by this sudden shift. “Sy, what’s wrong? What happened today to make you suddenly have all these thoughts on heading back, rather than forward?”</p><p>“Nothing. I’m just not sure I want to leave the life I know, and that includes leaving my regiment, leaving Texas. You should be flexible to that. After all, we are married now. You can’t just assume I’d drop everything for you and scamper on up here, or is that what you thought?” he asked, eyeing her in a way that made her heart hammer with nerves. She’d seen that look before. It was the look he gave before he was about to blow his stack at someone.</p><p>“Sy, it’s what we’ve spoken of,” she began.</p><p>“Not in any great detail, we didn’t. I don’t see why it has to be me to change everything in my life because you’re being rigid, Naz!” he shouted, a sudden wave of anger rising.</p><p>“What on earth has caused this? Sy, look at yourself, why are you being so aggressive with me?” she asked, bewildered by his change towards her. She’d seen the hardened side of him many times before, but seldom was it ever directed squarely at her.</p><p>Deep down, there was a voice of logic within him, shouting, screaming at him to be reasonable, telling him not to take it out on her that he’d had a sudden panic over his future and that it wasn’t her fault, but for that moment, the unreasonable, drunken side of him sadly prevailed.</p><p>“Because you won’t consider a life away from here if I choose not to take the job! That’s why I’m being aggressive!” he roared, making her jump. “Shit, baby I’m sorry.” He then immediately offered when he saw her eyes fill with tears, knowing he’d scared her. That was all it took for the voice of logic to swing the tide within. He couldn’t bear seeing her upset.</p><p>“I don’t understand what’s caused all of this. Please, just calm down and we can talk properly,” she spoke, her voice shaky. Immediately he put down his beer and went about brewing some coffee, wrapping his arms around her and apologising again as he stroked her hair.</p><p>In the end, after he’d sobered up thanks to downing near enough the entire pot plus a few litres of water, they actually managed to have a practical discussion about it. It was, they both had to accept, the first stumbling block to deal with after marrying one another so hastily.</p><p>“Okay, so to be realistic, we might have spoken about you coming up here but I am prepared to admit it was never in any kind of detail. Perhaps not the kind two otherwise very rational and intelligent people should have prior to getting married. We did get swept up in it all, didn’t we?” Naz offered as they sat down. Sy taking her hand while nodding.</p><p>“I’ll agree there, we did. Look, baby. I’m sorry I blew up at you, I just had one too many beers and then sat here, alone and stressing for the entire afternoon. I know I shouldn’t have done it,” he replied, affirming again just how sorry he was for yelling at her.</p><p>“I appreciate that. I know you can get snappy when you’re stressed, I’ve seen you succumb to it in the past. We need to focus on what to do going forward though, be pragmatic and reasonable too,” she spoke, Sy nodding.</p><p>“In the spirit of that, what would be the chances of you moving down to Texas if I did decide that’s where I want my life to remain?” he asked, Naz sighing sadly.</p><p>“Slim. The CIA is my dream job, my career is everything to me, but then again so are you,” she spoke, stroking his cheek.</p><p>“As is mine to me, and obviously you too. So where does that leave us?” He questioned, squeezing her hand.</p><p>“Stuck. One of us has to give up a whole lot to make our marriage work. Or, we have to give up each other.”</p><p>Her statement was the simple truth of the matter, something that for the next few days kept them in either discussions or arguments, both exhausted come the weekend, so much so that by Sunday, Sy had decided to fly back to Texas.</p><p>“I just need a little time by myself to make my decision. That’s all, I’m not running out on you. You know that, right?” he assured Naz as she stood outside departures with him at the airport. He’d been telling her the same thing for the last two days, but still, it didn’t quite sink in with her.</p><p>“It isn’t how it feels. I feel like you’re abandoning me, or rather us, in favour of making your decision alone. That isn’t what marriage is about, James.” He knew she was mad at him, she usually only ever referred to him by his proper name when she was angry.</p><p>“Neither is us yelling at each other like we have been. We need some time apart to breathe, baby. You know that,” he told her, wrapping her in a hug and kissing her. It made his heart sink when she pulled away, though.</p><p>“No, I don’t know that. That’s what you want, not me. I’m too fucking exhausted to argue with you anymore, so you go do what you do best to wives. You ran from your first one, so follow suit and run from your second one too, because it’s easier.”</p><p>She turned and left him at that point, tears stinging her eyes as she moved quickly through the airport, leaving her husband with the bitter truth that what she’d just told him, no matter how callously delivered, was right. He was running away from their problems. Still, it didn’t prevent him from getting on the plane. Hindsight would likely tell him it should have, though.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="post-content">
  <p>“Hey babe, how you doing?” Leah asked affectionately after Naz had opened her apartment door to her and Leanne, the two women stepping forward to jointly hug their heartbroken looking friend.  </p>
  <p>“I don’t know, sad seems to be the overriding emotion. He keeps telling me he only left to clear his head and think about the future, but I’m his wife! He should be doing this with me there, not shutting me out and making me feel like I’m the one he’s left!” Sadness very quickly gave way to the same exasperated anger they’d heard on the phone earlier that week, the day after he’d flown back to Texas.  </p>
  <p>She might have been upset, but the current of livid fury crackled through her strongly. Naz was never one to lose her temper, hating conflict and raised voices, so they got the measure loud and clear over just how angry she was with her husband at that moment.  </p>
  <p>“Have you spoken to him since he left?” Leanne asked as they walked into the lounge, taking seats on Naz’s sofa, the lady herself flopping down between them.  </p>
  <p>“Yes, a couple of times. It’s weird, though, almost like it isn’t him I’m talking to. He seems very distant, which makes me fearful that all this is him regretting our marriage and about to bail on it, on me. I do feel like he’s left me.  </p>
  <p>“I just don’t understand what spooked him so much, he was fine! He wouldn’t even explain it to me, not to begin with, at least. I had to wheedle it out of him, that he felt daunted by his life changing so drastically, both personally and professionally, enough to make him bolt back to Texas rather than sit and work it through with me!”</p>
  <p>Both Leanne and Leah could feel the uncomfortable truth of the situation bubbling up in their throats, sharing concerned, uncomfortable looks, silently asking ‘do we broach the truth of it?’ to one another with their expressions.  </p>
  <p>“Sweetie, you don’t understand it because, and I hate to be the one to say this, you don’t know him nearly as well as you think you do. Yes, you guys spent a lot of time together over in Syria and yes, I am under no illusion that the love you share is very real. However, the fact remains that you’ve only known him for nine months and been with him just shy of six. You haven’t seen how he reacts to different struggles in your relationship, because you haven’t been together long enough for those to manifest yet,” Leah spoke, wincing inside.</p>
  <p>To her surprise, though, Naz didn’t become emotional as she had feared. Quite the opposite. She accepted her words completely. “I know, this is something we both had to concede was right. We fell so deeply in love with one another, we just got swept up in it, carried away and while we do know each other well, we perhaps don’t know one another well enough to have gotten married. Or at least, we should have discussed our future in finer detail.”  </p>
  <p>She took a few big sips from her water bottle, deciding not to succumb to beer. She’d gotten drunk the night he left and had to face work with a stinking hangover. She wasn’t going to ruin her weekend by doing the same, although the urge was a tough one to fight.  </p>
  <p>“I really can’t believe he’s questioning it, though. I mean, what? Being away in active service for years on end, in a lower paying job and hardly ever seeing me is preferable to him than reaching for the amazing opportunity he’s being given and getting to be with me considerably more than the alternative?” she asked, sounding exasperated all over again.  </p>
  <p>“Nazzie, I think you need to remember that there’s two of you in this marriage. It can’t just be your way or the highway. You married him for better or worse and the worse in this scenario might mean that if you want your marriage to work, you move for him. Look, I know it all appeared to be going in the way you thought it would, him moving here, taking the job within the CIA, but just because it was your dream, it doesn’t mean it was his,” Leanne spoke gently, grasping her hand softly.  </p>
  <p>“But it’s the simplest way forward, though!” she protested, her friends shaking their heads.  </p>
  <p>“For you, it is,” Leah reminded her quietly, stroking her back when Naz rested her head down in her hands on her lap, sighing sadly. There was a fundamental truth not being spoken, her two friends loving her much too greatly to be so blunt when she was hurting. When Naz went to check on the food she was preparing for them, they discussed it quietly though.  </p>
  <p>“She’s not equipped to handle this properly, only having one real relationship before. We can’t really count Asim, that was puppy love when she was a kid still,” Leanne commented, Leah nodding.</p>
  <p>“This is exactly what I’ve been thinking, that she lacks an emotional maturity in relationships to see things from his point of view too. This, compounded with the fact that them getting married quickly was always going to throw up some sort of issue sooner or later, is throwing her through something she just isn’t used to dealing with. I feel like a fucking hypocrite for thinking this though, when I was there cheering her news when she told us,” Leah sighed, waving her hands expressively before dropping them into her lap.  </p>
  <p>“Yeah, but when your best friend walks into a restaurant, tells you she got married and flashes you her beautiful diamond ring, you celebrate her happiness, you congratulate her, that’s what you do. You don’t sit and act like an asshole by listing all the ways in which you think she might have hurried into it and what problems you suspect will arise because of such speedy nuptials,” Leanne replied in whisper.  </p>
  <p>“True. We have to help her with it, though, assist her in viewing it a little less selfishly. I think that’s the only way it’ll make sense to her, that she has another person’s life she needs to consider now. I mean, he does as well in all of this, which can’t be discounted. Except Sy isn’t out problem.  </p>
  <p>“From the sound of it, they’re both being a little bit self-centred, but Naz is the one we have to help see things a little differently. I wish Kate was here too, she’s so good with this sort of thing, but no. She’s on a beach in Rio, getting a tan butt. Yeah, still envious.” She pouted, Leanne laughing softly. Hearing Naz leaving the kitchen they fell quiet again, coming back and sitting down with a huff.</p>
  <p>“I miss him.” she sighed sadly, her friends being quick with the cuddles to comfort her. Meanwhile, down in Texas…</p>
  <p>“I was told you were down here! What are the odds, man? I had no idea you were back! Where’s Naz?” Calvin asked, taking a seat beside Sy at their local bar just off the Fort Hood base.</p>
  <p>“Back in Virginia,” he sighed, sinking a shot and calling for another.  </p>
  <p>“Dude, you alright? Because I’m kinda sensing that all isn’t as well as I was led to believe it was just a couple of weeks ago,” he commented, asking the bartender for a draft beer.  </p>
  <p>“We’re having some issues right now,” he revealed, concise as ever when something was bugging him. Calvin knew this behaviour of old, knowing his friend as well as he did. Sy often internalised everything, he did it as part and parcel of his job all the time, taking the pressures and never showing a crack in his outer shell. He also knew how to wheedle it out of him, though. There were few people in his life Sy would ever really open up to, Calvin just so happened to be one of them.  </p>
  <p>“Do I have to get a cattle prod? Pliers? Drag that shit out with a grappling hook? Just tell me, so I know which section of the hardwear store I gotta hit,” he told him, Sy finally smiling, laughing softly through his nose.  </p>
  <p>“My future with Naz is a little rocky at present, mainly because I think it’s just hit me recently that for the first time in my life, I acted with my heart instead of my damn head. I married her without us really discussing what the future held. She assumed I’d take the CIA job on offer and move up to Virginia to be with her, which I guess she had every right to. I didn’t confirm it, but also I didn’t deny it either, but now, see, I’m not so sure I actually want to,” he revealed, Calvin taking a sip of his beer.  </p>
  <p>“Two more of those, my friend,” he began, pointing at Sy’s empty shot glass, the bartender swiftly moving to put a fresh one down and refill both glasses. Calvin then sunk it, made a motion for another and downed that too before he continued.  </p>
  <p>“Is your bitch ass crazy? You get offered the job of Paramilitary Operations Officer, a fucking golden god position for anyone in the armed forces to move into, especially since you know they usually only ask people in ranks of Major and above, like Liz was.</p>
  <p>“So yeah there’s that, your beautiful young wife too, who you’d be lucky enough to work and travel with, meaning you’d no longer be like us and have to miss our ole’ ladies like crazy, and your white ass is back here in a dark bar unsure of what to do? What the fuck is with that?” Calvin yelled, half the bar turning to witness his tirade.  </p>
  <p>“Cal, it isn’t that simple,” Sy began, being cut up again, Calvin nearly spraying him in beer in his rush to speak.</p>
  <p>“Not that simple? Your stupid ass is married to Princess fucking Jasmine and you’re questioning wanting to spend most of your time with her or a bunch of sweaty Texans in whichever asshole region of the Middle East they send us to next? Im’a ‘bout to kick your sorry ass from one side of this bar to the other, see if I can knock a little common sense into you, bro!” he continued, Sy entertained by his Princess Jasmine comment.  </p>
  <p>“So, what you’re trying to tell me is that you think I should take it?” he joked, Calvin thumping him in the arm.</p>
  <p>“I’ll chase you into that damned headquarters building myself if I have to,” he threatened playfully.  </p>
  <p>“I don’t know, man. I really don’t. I mean, I have all the fucking confidence in myself I need to do the job, I’m just unsure if I want it. I like what I have,” he shrugged, Calvin shaking his head.  </p>
  <p>“You’re gonna choose complacency over the CIA and your marriage? Wait, hold up. If you want to remain in the military, you could just internally transfer to a base in Virginia, surely?” he then spoke, surprised that the idea hadn’t hit him before.</p>
  <p>“Hmm. Maybe,” he replied, nodding.  </p>
  <p>“Look, bro. All joking and aghast commentary aside, I can’t tell you to take that job. You have to do what you feel is right for you at the end of it all. You and your wife. Her life needs to factor into your decision making just as much as yours does,” Calvin explained, nodding happily when a song by Otis Reading came onto the jukebox.</p>
  <p>“Yeah, I know.” Sy clammed up again at that point, Calvin deciding not to press him further on the subject. Instead, they spoke of other topics, Calvin realising right now that Sy might need a drinking buddy more than he needed a solution to a problem that was between him and Naz to work out.  </p>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I apologise for being so neglectful with the updates, guys. I'm going to leave the last three chapters now to make up for it. Thank you ever so much to all of you who have read and left feedback and kudos. I appreciate you so much.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Looking over at the empty space in his bed, Sy imagined Naz being there, smiling at him while likely wearing one of his t shirts knotted at the waist and him teasing her about it, just like he had the last time she’d been in his bed. ‘Like you know who Pantera are’ he remembered teasing her with, tickling her while she giggled, wearing one of his many t shirts featuring that particular band.</p>
<p>He then remembered playing them to her, Naz crinkling her nose and shouting that they were too loud before he’d pulled the t shirt from her, calling her a phony. ‘I’m wearing it because it’s yours, habibi, not because I’m aiming for pretence!’ she’d told him, squealing and screaming as he tickled her further, blowing raspberries on her neck before pinning her to the bed and instigating pastimes far less innocent.</p>
<p>“Fuck, I miss you.” He sighed, looking at the picture of her that displayed as the background on his phone. He loved her absolutely endlessly and in that moment in time was kicking himself that it obviously wasn’t enough, that the pull of his current life outweighed his devotion to her.</p>
<p>Then of course, he remembered that she was being just as headstrong in her refusal to move for him too and felt irritated all over again. She couldn’t just assume that’s how it would happen because it made the most sense to her. There was one person he knew he needed the most in that moment, someone he could tell anything to.</p>
<p>“Hey, pop. You busy today?” he asked after calling his dad.</p>
<p>“I am, as always, son. Why’d you ask?” Mitch replied as he tied a young stallion to the hitching rail, paused from taking him out for his exercise in his brand new saddle.</p>
<p>“Thought I could swing by,” he commented, Mitch perplexed.</p>
<p>“That’s one helluva journey from Virginia!” he joked, the young horse to his side nudging him impatiently.</p>
<p>“I’m in Eastland,” he revealed.</p>
<p>“Oh right! So you’re bringing my wonderful daughter in law for another visit? I look forward to it, I thought she was back at work, though?” He hated to disappoint his dad, hearing how pleased he sounded at the prospect of seeing Naz again.</p>
<p>“She is, dad. I’m down here by myself.” He replied, before telling him they were having some problems, Mitch assuring him he could tell him all about them once he arrived and hurrying off so go exercise the horse. When Sy arrived, he was handed a set of reins to do the exact same thing.</p>
<p>“This is Boo. She’s feisty, so be on your guard,” Mitch warned him, handing him a hard hat. Sy made a ‘pfffft’ noise at the gesture, pulling an incredulous face.</p>
<p>“You don’t ever wear one of those!” he yelled, stealing his dad’s black Stetson off his head and putting it on before vaulting onto the mares back from the ground. “C’mon, Boo. Let’s go.” He then said after adjusting his stirrups, Mitch swinging the gate open into the arena as the mare decided to jog in sideways and then rear up a few times, two of his yard grooms coming to watch.</p>
<p>“Stop it,” Sy told her calmly, acting like nothing out of the ordinary was happening, the Palomino mare pitching a further fit by bucking a few times as well. “Enough of your mess! Walk on.” He then continued, squeezing his legs around her, Boo walking forward obediently when she realised her rider wasn’t daunted by her antics at all. Sy had been riding since he was three. Her conniptions posed no issue to him whatsoever.</p>
<p>“How the hell does he do it?” Steve, one of the grooms asked, shaking his head in wonder. Boo had unceremoniously thrown him twice the previous morning before he’d even gotten her into the arena.</p>
<p>“An ass made of glue and a way about him that makes the horse realise he don’t take any messin’!” Mitch replied proudly, watching Sy moving Boo forward into a steady trot, the mare still fussing but not getting very far with it.</p>
<p>Mitch needed help that day with exercising the horses since he had three grooms away at a horse show and one delivering a colt to his new owners, but the main benefit of sticking Sy on the usually tempestuous Boo was the clear his mind of anything else other than the task of staying on her back and making her work well for him.</p>
<p>After revealing he was having marriage issues, he knew he likely needed the distraction for a while. He also heard it in his voice, just how fed up he sounded, his face matching that tone once he’d arrived at the ranch. After another horse and another hour in the saddle, though, Sy was looking a lot happier.</p>
<p>“He’s fucking great, dad. Can I keep him?” he asked, Mitch laughing softly and shaking his head as his son turned the black horse in the direction of the gate, patting his lathered neck and telling him he was a good boy.</p>
<p>“He is, but Spike here has a brand new owner to go to next week. Believe me, I did struggle not to keep him, he’s such a damn good horse. Does everything you want him to and if he doesn’t understand, he tries for you,” he replied, Sy agreeing as he jumped down, handing the reins to Polly, the other groom present and waiting to take Spike away to a nearby paddock.</p>
<p>“So, do you feel better now? You arrived looking like a bulldog who’d been chewing a bee,” Mitch observed as they walked away from the arena, the older man stopping to grab a wheelbarrow and a shavings fork, having a few stables he needed to muck out that afternoon.</p>
<p>“Yeah, a little,” Sy commented, nodding as they came to a stop in front of the first stable, Mitch kicking the bolt undone and sliding the top bolt, Titan, the stallion within whickering happily to see him as he walked over to secure him with a halter, passing the rope to Sy who lead him out and secured him outside of his stable.</p>
<p>“So, you wanna reveal what the hell is going on for your marriage to have hit the skids already?” Mitch commented, beginning to shovel wet sawdust into the wheelbarrow.</p>
<p>“I think there was a distinct lack of communication between myself and Naz prior to us getting married, because she was under the impression I’d definitely be quitting the military to pursue the role offered to me by the CIA, but I never one hundred percent committed to that idea. Simply, I just don’t know if I do want to leave active service or not, even though I’d still do such to a degree within my new job, should I choose to accept it. She, on the other hand, steadfastly doesn’t want to quit her job and move down here if I don’t.</p>
<p>“I dunno, dad. I don’t know if I really want it or not. I feel like I can do it, but there’s shit that puts me off about the role, I have to admit. Also, then there’s leaving Texas for good, too. Granted, I’m not here much, but it’s a lot to decide in such a short space of time. I just don’t know if it’s a viable option.</p>
<p>“I talked to Calvin about it too, he basically chewed me out over it all and asked what the hell was wrong with me, called me various types of dumbass and suchlike and basically said that I’d be choosing complacency if I didn’t take the job.</p>
<p>“I’m unsure, though. I’m still struggling over what the fuck I should do. I have four days to decide, or they rescind their offer,” he sighed, the sudden feeling of Mitch’s hand slapping him at full pelt around the head shocking the hell out of him.  “What the fuck, dad?” He shouted, not able to remember the last time his father had back handed him.</p>
<p>“What in the absolute hell is wrong with you, boy?” Mitch began, looking at him incredulously before setting the shavings rake down against the side of the stable. “You get offered a job, a damn good job with a starting pay of nearly fifteen grand more than you’re on right now, in a role that means you also get to travel with your lovely new wife and you’re questioning whether it’s a viable option to you or not?</p>
<p>“What, you want to continue being deployed for years at a time, never having the time to see the eventual family I imagine you and Naz will start because you’re never there, running away from shit like you did with Heather? Get a fucking hold of yourself, James!</p>
<p>“What Calvin told you was absolutely right! Goddamn, I never thought my smartest boy could be capable of being so dumb. Cameron, maybe, but never you. The choice is right there and what does he do? Comes back here and sulks, that’s what he does!”</p>
<p>He was more ranting to himself at the end of his tirade, picking up the shavings rake again and continuing to sift through poop, while Sy just stood there dumbfounded, scratching Titan behind the ears.</p>
<p>They were the words he’d needed to hear, his massive wakeup call. True, Calvin had more or less told him the same thing three days before, but to hear all of it from his dad was the tonic he needed to drink. The fact that both Naz and his dad had identified what he’d done, ran away from his problems just like he had in his previous marriage had truly hit home with him.</p>
<p>“Have I been an idiot?” Sy asked.</p>
<p>“Yes!” Mitch yelled, softening a little afterwards. “To be completely honest, I do see things from both sides, but you have to forgive Naz for thinking how she did when you were up here last, telling me of your job offer with the kind of enthusiasm you were. I don’t blame her for her assumption at all, even though I can see where you’re coming from in being mad that she wouldn’t be flexible about moving.</p>
<p>“What you have to see though is thus. Naz would stand to lose a whole lot if she moved here and you, you’d move to gain a whole lot. What kind of work as a translator do you think she’ll get down here? Zip. Nada. You though? Yes, you’re beginning something new, but it’s like a bigger and better version of who you already are,” he explained, Sy nodding, his dad’s words making all the sense they needed to.</p>
<p>“Can you give me a moment, please?” Mitch nodded, continuing sifting through the shavings while Sy turned and walked across the yard, pulling his cell from his pocket.</p>
<p>“Kelland Carpenter’s office, please. It’s James Syverson,” he spoke when the call was answered down at the CIA switchboard on the fourth ring. “Kel, how are you doing? Yeah, I’m good. I’m just calling to let you know that the offer you gave me, I’ve decided to accept.”</p>
<p>Now all Sy had to do was wait until his wife finished work and hope she wasn’t still as angry with him as she was during their last phone call. Or, he could go one better.</p>
<p>Walking back up towards the house so he could get better reception and connect to the Wi-Fi, he called up flights on his phone and managed to find one for that evening at 7.45pm. It wasn’t direct and would mean he wouldn’t arrive in Virginia for four hours, but it was better than not being able to turn up out of the blue and hopefully be a pleasant surprise for his wife.</p>
<p>Looking at the picture of her on his cell again, he stroked it affectionately with his thumb, knowing he really was making the right decision. She was his future, just as working for the CIA was, too.</p>
<p>Looking up, he was just about to turn around to go and tell his dad of his plans when he spotted his past heading towards him with his mother. Of all the people he expected to see that afternoon, his ex-wife wasn’t one of them.</p>
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<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter 31</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You fucking meddling woman.” Sy muttered under his breath as he saw his mother and Heather approaching him, leaning over a paddock rail giving Spike a scratch on the back as he grazed. He’d gone from happy and hopeful that life would be smoothly back on track to indignant in a matter of seconds.</p><p>He considered walking straight past them, but decided against it, adopting the stance of being the bigger person. It still didn’t stop him from eyeing his mom with nothing short of utter disdain once she and Heather had arrived by his side.</p><p>“James, I thought it would be a good idea for you and Heather to talk,” she told him, her tone persuasive yet gentle, like she believed what she was doing was truly for his benefit and not hers.</p><p>“I know what you thought would be good. I’m angry as hell at you right now too for your interfering,” he told her, staring out across the paddock, holding onto his temper by a thread.</p><p>“I’ll leave you two alone.” Smiling at Heather, Judy turned and left, Sy clenching his jaw before he turned to his ex.</p><p>“Why are you here? Why did you let her talk you into this, or are you two in cahoots to interfere with my life as much as you can?” he asked, leaning back against the rail and folding his arms.</p><p>“Your mom told me you married some Iraqi girl,” she began.</p><p>“Her ethnicity has fuck all to do with anything,” he told her angrily, Heather shaking her head.</p><p>“You’re right, it doesn’t. Bit of a change from me though, huh?” Yes, Naz definitely was. She dressed classily and understatedly in comparison to Heather’s flashiness, was dark to her blonde, quiet to her loud. “Look, your mom told me you guys were having issues and you were heading down here. I’ve wanted to talk to you since you came back, but she was with you.” The emphasis she put on the word ‘she’ when referring to Naz made him frown.</p><p>“Heather, whatever you have to say is of no interest to me. My issues with my wife are my issues and hopefully soon to be resolved. Mom already told me you want us to give it another try, but you’re wasting your time. I’ve moved on and married someone else, you either accept this or you don’t, up to you.” He walked away at that point, having no further interest in lingering in the past.</p><p>Right there, looking at the woman he had once loved with his entire being, but feeling absolutely nothing toward her in that moment, sealed for him just how ready he was to leave all of this behind. Texas, while it would always be home, was in his rear view mirror now, just as Heather was. He felt fully committed to his future, but perhaps needed to make one thing very clear prior to moving forward.</p><p>He firstly went and said goodbye to his dad, giving him a hug and thanking him for such sage advice, heading up to the house afterwards to give someone else something they needed to hear just as much as he had his father’s words.</p><p>“She just came back here crying, James! What did you say to her?” His mom wailed as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, picking up his keys and cap.</p><p>“What I said to her is none of your goddamned business, but the following very much is. What you did today was fundamentally wrong. I will not tolerate you meddling in my life or my marriage, neither will I accept your need to cling onto my ex-wife in some pathetic hope we’ll get back together. We won’t. You’ve given me no choice but to give you an ultimatum. If she remains in your life, I don’t. Make your choice and for fuck’s sake, mama, grow the hell up.”</p><p>He’d never dared speak to his mom like that before, turning and leaving the kitchen, swerving Heather when she stepped out of the downstairs restroom as he headed back out to his truck and drove away. He meant every word of what he told her, too.</p><p>There was no way he would entertain having a relationship with her if those were the conditions she put upon him, refusing to accept his wife and meddling to try and get her own way in a situation that was nothing to do with her. What she’d done was unacceptable, his dad calling him half an hour into his drive home to let him know he felt exactly the same.</p><p>“She’s fuming over your ultimatum, but I told her, she shouldn’t have driven you to it. I gave her a chewing out and left her to pout, but I hope that by the time I head back to the house for dinner, she might see how wrong she was to interfere like that.” Mitch spoke, Sy not feeling optimistic that she actually would.</p><p>His mother wasn’t his priority at that moment, though. Returning to the side of the one he shouldn’t have run away from was his sole focus, putting his foot down on the freeway so he could get home in time to pack.</p><p>While on the plane, he had absolutely no idea whether she would be in or out with her friends when he arrived, such was the gamble in wanting to surprise her, he couldn’t very well call her to ask. At least he had her spare key and code to gain access to the apartment building, though.</p><p>Arriving outside the dwelling at just after midnight, he found that she had indeed gone out, seeing the evidence sprawled across the bed in the shape of outfits which hadn’t made the cut and haphazardly thrown shoes, putting everything away before unpacking his own clothes.</p><p>Once he’d sat down, he had a sudden thought that perhaps he should have contemplated a little more prior to leaving Texas. What if she didn’t take kindly to him showing up out of the blue like that? She was angry with him and they were barely speaking. Did he really expect her just to melt and run into his open arms, all quarrels forgotten simply because he’d returned?</p><p>He sat watching old reruns of David Attenborough documentaries while waiting for her to arrive home, pondering her reaction as he learned about the tortoises of the Galapagos Islands. Hearing her key in the door he shut the TV off, getting up and waiting in the lounge doorway for her to appear.</p><p>When she did, he felt his heart thud happily to see her, his beautiful wife who he’d missed so much. Lamentably though, after she initially brightened, a scowl creased her pretty features.</p><p>“What, you just turn up here and expect me to be pleased to see you, after you ran away from me?” she asked, slurring a little. Drunk Naz, as he had learned, wasn’t the easiest to reason with. She likely wasn’t any more than tipsy to her credit, but still, alcohol definitely affected her usually rational equilibrium.</p><p>“You’ve every right to be angry with me for doing that, because I did run away. That was wrong of me. I should have stayed right here to reach my conclusion,” he began, Naz interrupting as she pulled off her heels, wobbling and cursing, Sy trying not to laugh.</p><p>“Oh, so you’ve decided, hmm?” She asked, putting her hand out to lean casually against the doorway to the kitchen and missing, hitting the frame with her shoulder. He couldn’t help but snort that time. She was so adorably clumsy when she was drunk. “Don’t fucking laugh at me! I’m still angry with you!” she then snapped, pointing at him before taking herself off into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.</p><p>“Don’t you want to hear what I’ve decided, baby?” he asked.</p><p>“No!” she squealed from the other side of the door, swearing more as she fought to get out of her dress. Dinner and drinks had been followed by cocktails and dancing, she, a newly returned Kate and Leah (Leanne was away for a work conference in Denver for the weekend) only calling it a night at 1pm.</p><p>“Alright, but are you okay in there? I’m concerned you might fall and do yourself a mishap,” he asked, still amused.</p><p>“Leave me alone!”</p><p>“Drunk and angry wifey, the two never mix well.” He muttered to himself, heading back to the lounge. He switched the TV back on, continuing absorbing the documentary he’d been so interested in, hearing Naz banging around in the bedroom a little before the door opened.</p><p>“You can sleep on the couch!” she yelled at him, not entering the living room, her decision shouted from the hallway as two pillows and a large blanket came flying through the doorway. He thought it was cute that still, through her drunken indignation, she cared enough to ensure he was comfortable.</p><p>All went quiet in the bedroom, Naz drinking her obligatory litre of water before she threw herself under the covers, Sy watching TV until around 2:30am before deciding to call it quits and undress, making his couch bed up and getting comfortable once he’d stripped to his boxers.</p><p>At some point in the night, Naz’s vexation must have been abated slightly, for when he woke up just as dawn was breaking, it was to the warm softness of her body cuddled against his, her little soft snores music to his ears as he stroked her hair lovingly. She stirred, stretching and nearly falling off the couch, Sy grabbing her arm and pulling her back against his chest.</p><p>“I’m sorry I shouted at you when I got home. I was drunk and pissed off,” she spoke, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She hadn’t quite managed to clean all of her mascara off, thus giving herself the appearance of an adorable racoon when she smeared those last traces of makeup around.</p><p>“I deserved it, like I told you at the time I shouldn’t have ran off. I should have stayed so we could work things out together, that’s what married people do,” he began, taking a long stretch. “I took the job, Naz. I was fucking idiotic to ever consider a different life, or expect you to leave yours behind had I chosen complacency.”</p><p>Seeing the way she smiled at him, squeaking excitedly as she threw her arms around his neck and tucked herself in under his chin while hugging him tightly, it was all the assurance he needed that he’d definitely done the right thing. Not just accepting the job, either, but marrying the wonderful woman he was crammed in on the couch with in the first place.</p><p>His future, he realised, was right there by his side.</p>
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<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter 32</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can forgive your actions, you know. No, I really can,” Naz began as they lay in bed talking, after deciding to switch locations to somewhere of more comfort. Sy tried to protest this, wanting to take responsibility for his part in their first big falling out, but Naz continued regardless. “You were under a lot of stress as it was, what with your mother’s reaction to me. I am under no illusion that probably added to your mental load.”</p>
<p>“It did, but it still doesn’t excuse me leaving you in the lurch. As for mom, I have some news there. You’ll never fucking believe what she did,” he began, before detailing it all, watching Naz’s face as her mouth dropped open, her eyebrows raised high.  </p>
<p>“I cannot believe she would obtrude like that! I mean, surely she didn’t think you would just go running back to Heather because we’d hit a stumbling block?” she asked in disbelief, shaking her head.  </p>
<p>“Pretty much, yeah. At the first sign of trouble, she just had to interfere with absolutely no regard for me. It’s all about what she wants, and she wants Heather and I to reconcile. I told her until she forgets that idea and also cuts her ties with my ex, I don’t want a relationship with her. I hated to give her such an ultimatum, but I had no other option. She needs to realise what her actions are causing,” he explained, Naz reaching to stroke his face.  </p>
<p>“She really didn’t give you much of a choice, you’re quite right there. The ball is in her court now, she can either be stubborn or she can see sense. I’m hoping for the latter. I’d like a relationship with my mother in law, become friends with her,” she replied, Sy pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead.  </p>
<p>Naz was such a sweet, genuine person, prepared to overlook the nasty comments made by his mother in order to forge ahead, wanting nothing but a real relationship with her despite being so upset by the remarks she’d overheard. At twenty-seven, soon to be twenty-eight, she was much wiser and more grown up than Judy Syverson had managed to become in her fifty-nine years on the planet.</p>
<p>“She don’t even see it, just how lucky she is, having a daughter in law like you,” he told her, tightening his arms around her. “Being away from you, even if it was only just under a week, it made me realise how fucking lucky I am, having a wife like you too. I missed you, baby.”</p>
<p>They fell into the kind of kisses that dictated less talking and a lot more physicality at that point, Naz moving to lie on top of him as he stroked her back, hands sliding down to grope her butt as he groaned into her mouth.  </p>
<p>His cock began to harden at her hip as the heat between them rose, kisses intensifying, Sy suddenly sliding beneath her to kiss his way down her body, his tongue reacquainting itself with each rise and curve before…</p>
<p>“Ahhh, ohhhh, I missed that.” She breathed as her clit was bathed in wet heat. The feel of his powerful hands pushing against her hips, his mouth lapping contently at the apex of her thighs and the scent of him on her pillows again was a mix of what she’d longed for, her husband returned to their bed.  </p>
<p>He pulled his tongue repeatedly though her slick, pink folds, relieving her burden, the longing, pent up arousal she’d felt, despite being mad at him for at least half the time they were apart. Anger unfortunately did little to sate desire.</p>
<p>She was sated in that moment, though, her clit became his focus, long, languid licks encircling it with wet warmth, her taste flooding his mouth and senses, moaning as he stopped to take a long, slow suck at her ambrosial cunt.  </p>
<p>He sent her to a blissful state with the inclusion of his fingers, stroking her slit as he kissed her inner thigh and her hip, only pausing for the briefest of moments before his mouth joined them, stroking and licking her dually, making her whimper.  </p>
<p>She gasped at the intrusion of his fingers inside her, mewling softly as he raked at her insides deftly, Naz sitting up to look down on him as he ate at her keenly, Sy winking at her while sliding his tongue back and forth over her clit.  </p>
<p>As much as she enjoyed it, she needed him more, though, needed to feel his steely inches push her pussy open wide, a sensation that followed immediately after she’d climbed further down the bed and enveloped his hardness within her heat.  </p>
<p>She stretched around him, a faint gasp leaving her mouth as she pushed her palms against his broad chest, Sy running his hands up her arms before pulling her down to kiss her wantonly. It was all slow and beautiful to begin with, a delectable build as they enjoyed their sexual reunion, but as Naz predicted, her husband wasn’t content to stay on his back for long.  </p>
<p>He chuckled at her grumbles when he flipped her over, leaning to suck her nipples as he sank into her with a deeply delivered thrust, teeth prickling each bud as his hands slid all over her soft skin, one settling at her neck to hold her down.  </p>
<p>His cock fucked tingles of pure ebullience into her, Sy gazing at her intently, his thumb stroking her cheek before he leaned to kiss her, his thrusts speeding up, his mouth swallowing her moans.  </p>
<p>She clenched tightly around him, wailing loudly as everything swiftly gave way to utter frenzy, drawing curses from him as he fucked her savagely, erotic heat coiling within them both from such uninhibited friction. He then slowed again, his hardness dragging her walls in a languid, deliberate glide, making sparks glimmer through her.</p>
<p>He felt heavy and delicious within her slick heat, Naz mewling softly as she panted, each slowly delivered thrust stoking wildfire within her. It felt like her cunt was an inferno of magmatic pleasure when he sped up again, lewd squelching noises filling the air, such was the plentifulness of her wetness.  </p>
<p>Uncontained frenzy gripped them both, Naz trembling as he fucked her until the coil in her groin released, lightning striking home, her entire being burning with aggressively tingling pleasure, Sy spent and out of breath atop her as his rapidly moving body finally slowed.  </p>
<p>They lay and basked in each other for a while before getting up, Sy taking her out for breakfast, both sitting there enjoying the sedate pace of the morning while looking into a matter quite pressing, now Sy had made the decision to relocate to Virginia.  </p>
<p>“No, I don’t like any of it,” Naz commented after viewing the four-bedroom abode Sy had liked the look of listed on a realtor site.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but baby, the décor isn’t important, is it? It’s the space and this has stacks of it for a really fair price too. We can do what we want to it once we move in,” he reminded her, Naz still looking dubious.  </p>
<p>“With how busy we’ll be at work, don’t bet on us actually having much time to do any redecorating projects.” Sy knew he was in for a change once he began his new job, having an intense six month on the job training period, but he perhaps didn’t heed his wife’s words quite as much as he should have.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m lying in the belly of Kermit the fucking frog with the worst headache I’ve ever had in my life. I apologise, honey. You were right, we should have moved into somewhere that didn’t need every single room redecorating,” he grumbled, four months into his new life and new job, absolutely shattered from the day.  </p>
<p>“I’ll take no pleasure in being right, I really won’t. You’re doing amazingly well though, habibi. Also, you were right at the time, we couldn’t let this place slip through our fingers. It has way too much potential to be absolutely beautiful.” She replied, stroking his forehead and handing him the aspirin he’d requested.  </p>
<p>Naz had found the house while looking online during one of her lunch breaks, the couple heading over to the nice, suburban neighbourhood a forty-minute drive from the CIA headquarters to view the five-bedroom house. On the outside, it was beautiful, with a well-maintained backyard complete with outdoor kitchen and hot tub. However, the inside…</p>
<p>“Oh hell!” Sy had commented at the cerise pink hallway, he and Naz viewing the bright yellow living room in more or less the same state of cringe.</p>
<p>“The current owners are very eccentric. We did advise them that they’d likely receive more interest if they redecorated to a more neutral colour palette, but it appeared to fall on deaf ears.” The realtor revealed. As soon as they moved in, they spent most of their first week there painting the hallway and lounge white, just to make it bearable.  </p>
<p>The rest of the home would take more extensive work, the kitchen and bathroom suites needing to be ripped out completely, every bedroom needing redecorating, too. The only room in the house that seemed to be quite tasteful was their simple, elegant, grey ensuite bathroom. However, they did have help eventually come, though. Help from a very unexpected source.  </p>
<p>“Yes, it definitely compliments the ensuite and it’s better than just plain white. I like the darkest one for the feature wall too, I definitely think that and not wallpaper, hon,” Judy spoke, she and Naz viewing several paints the latter had chosen for the one dark wall she wanted to paint behind where their bed went, the rest of the room painted a very pale grey.  </p>
<p>“Not too dark?” Naz questioned, picking up her iced tea and taking a sip. If there was one thing her mother in law knew, it was how to make an amazing iced tea.  </p>
<p>“No, not with the amount of light it gets in here. It’ll look great, so shall we head back there now and grab a pot?” Naz agreed and with that, picked up her purse and keys, heading out to her car with the elder Mrs Syverson.  </p>
<p>If you’d asked her just six months prior, she’d never have even imagined relations between Sy’s mom and she could be this friendly, but both had been greatly surprised by Judy’s efforts to repair the damage her attitude had caused. </p>
<p>After a lot of thought, as well as a lot of input from her family, Judy had realised just how wrong she’d been in acting the way that she had towards Naz, so took the steps she needed to mend the rift with her son and daughter in law. The first was reluctantly having to sever her relationship with Heather, which she knew she had to do in order to have her son in her life.  </p>
<p>This became easier for her the more she put the second step into practice, which meant actually making an effort to have a relationship with Naz. Whenever it was convenient for them, Judy flew to Virginia with the express purpose of showing them just how serious she was about her redemption, nothing but apologetic and humble for her small-minded opinions and interfering ways.  </p>
<p>It didn’t mend overnight, it took a few months before Naz began to truly warm to her mother in law, starting to see the woman behind the opinion which had upset her so greatly back when they’d first met eight months prior.  </p>
<p>Judy was a very straight up, efficient, decisive woman, not quite a warm as Mitch and could be very black and white in how she saw the world, but she definitely had her sweet, caring side once you got to know her. She did have a capability for true warmth within her, it just took a little longer to coax out.  </p>
<p>“Aww, shucks! You caught me trying to leave you a little surprise,” she exclaimed, when Naz turned to see her attempting to slide a gift into her handbag without her noticing.  </p>
<p>“What surprise?” Naz asked, being passed the cute little gift bag with a smile. Opening it up, she saw the necklace she’d admired in the window of the gift shop next to the small hardware store they’d just visited. “So that’s where you vanished to! Oh, Jude. It’s gorgeous. Thank you.”  </p>
<p>“You’re welcome, sweetheart. See, I was right. It does go with your eyes.” Smiling at Naz, she took the chain and fastened it around her neck for her, giving her a little hug. “I know gifts won’t buy me back into your good graces and nor would I expect them to, but I won’t just stop trying to mend the damage I’ve done now we’re on good terms.”  </p>
<p>“How you’ve acted and what you’ve said outweigh any gift giving. The measure of your sincerity truly is palpable, and I thank you for it. I’ve greatly enjoyed getting to know my mother in law. I just wish you and Mitch didn’t live so far so we had more time to spend together,” she said, the women heading back to the car.  </p>
<p>“It is what it is, besides, we’re only four hours away at any given point. I’m enjoying my every other weekend visits greatly. Even the cabin crew have started to recognise me and have a martini poured as soon as the trolley comes my way!” she joked, making Naz laugh softly. Iced teas and vodka martinis were most definitely her drinks of choice.  </p>
<p>Being home and building a life with her husband was something Naz greatly enjoyed, although it wouldn’t last forever. She was glad of that too, getting back to travelling, having a new project to immerse herself in. All the while too, with the love of her life by her side.  </p>
<p>“And I thought al Shadid was a hostile, misogynistic piece of shit. Omar Hadid is perhaps the vilest human being I think I have ever met,” she sighed, flopping down on the couch in their hotel room in Paris, where their investigations had taken them on the hunt for the twenty-one-year-old IS terrorist and French national, wanted for a string of bombings across the USA.  </p>
<p>“Ain’t he just,” Sy began, taking off his t shirt, which stank of spit. Omar very much enjoyed that particular method of showing his disgust. It had taken Sy all he had within him not to reach across the table and punch him in the mouth at some points. “Just remember that the guy is very obviously mentally ill and off his meds, though.”  </p>
<p>Their questioning had to come to a halt because of this, until he could be assessed by a doctor and given correct medication before his questioning and eventual extradition could be put in motion.  </p>
<p>“Yes, which I suppose will be used in his defence come his trial. I just hope there’s evidence we can garner of him being on his medication, or he’s likely to receive a lighter sentence, no matter how much our judicial system frowns upon terrorists,” Naz muttered, following Sy through to the bathroom to get into the shower with him.  </p>
<p>“Here’s hoping he gets an unyielding judge, then. Since we’re actually done at a reasonable time, do you want to go take that walk along the Seine and find somewhere to get something to eat? I’m not staying here to eat with Kel again. That man puts away an inhuman amount of red wine,” he laughed, his head still feeling a little sore from the previous night.  </p>
<p>“He doesn’t get hangovers either!” Naz began, moving the soapy sponge across her chest. “And yes, I do! That’d be lovely.” Half an hour later and they were walking along the banks of the famous river, sirens audible in the distance, the sound of chatter and a piano from two bars nearby drifting through the air.  </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Sy suddenly told her, completely out of nowhere, grabbing her hand and kissing her palm as she stroked his cheek.  </p>
<p>“What for, habibi?” she asked as they came to a stop.  </p>
<p>“For this life. I wouldn’t have it if it wasn’t for you. Regardless of if we hadn’t ended up together, I doubt I’d have left the military if it hadn’t been you giving me the incentive to do so, making me see what kind of life I could make for myself,” he told her, Naz smiling and shaking her head.</p>
<p>“You’d still be destined for greatness without me, that’s just who you are. You without me, me without you, that isn’t something that was ever meant to be, though. Just like you said on the night of our wedding, we were always meant to find each other,” she replied, kissing him, sighing happily against his mouth as his arms tightened around her.  </p>
<p>“Yes. We absolutely were.” They stood and enjoyed the simplicity of kissing one another, still as enamoured with one another as ever, before walking off into the Parisian night, content beyond words. It wasn’t an ordinary life for a married couple, the one they’d found themselves in, but was as perfect for them as they were for each other.  </p>
<p>The End.  </p>
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